Remember How We Forgot
by midnightphantom13
Summary: Nora, the Sole Survivor of Vault 111, had so many plans for her life before the bombs fell. That was until all that she dreamed about was stolen from her by a cruel man with a scar across his face. With her husband dead and infant son lost to the wastes, Nora needs to decide if she will rise to the challenges set before her or simply become another forgotten story of the Wastes.
1. Coming Home

**A.N.** This fic is meant to explore the challenges our Sole Survivor faced upon climbing out of Vault 111. I want to show personal growth and transformation. Too many stories write our female Sole Survivor as a bad ass mercenary without hardly any explanation as to how she got there.

My goal is that this version of Nora is more realistic. Per-cannon, she still has a law degree while her husband was the one with the military background. Also, Nora and Nate did really love each other, so this female Sole Survivor will deal with grief and will try to process her husband's death as she navigates the wasteland and all of its horrors entirely unprepared an unequipped.

Although, this story will eventually focus on a Nick Valentine/Female Sole Survivor and an eventual John Handcock/Female Sole Survivor relationship. It will take me a few chapters to get us there. Enjoy the ride. Reviews, kudos, and bookmarks are very much appreciated!

Without rehashing too much dialogue, this story will stick closely to the cannon quest lines.

* * *

When the heavy metal doors of the vault ceiling opened, the sole survivor of Vault 111 stepped into the blinding sunlight.

At first, all Nora could see was the deep cerulean sky that was dotted with fluffy white clouds. They looked like the cotton candy that Nate loved to get when they went to the Mass Fusion Commonweath Fair before Shaun was born.

 _Oh God. Nate and Shaun_. Nora crumpled to the ground a mere five feet away from the vault elevator. Sobs retched from her body as she held tightly onto the gold wedding band that she took from Nate's frozen corpse. The ring was still freezing cold from the cryo pod, but she embraced the pain and let it fuel the storm that threatened to tear her apart.

What did she do to deserve this? What sins had she committed in her life, or even in past lives, where her husband was murdered in cold blood right in front of her and her infant child was kidnapped for God knows what purpose?

"SHAUN" She cried. Her voice cut through the apocalyptic silence and a flock of birds took flight from a nearby scorched tree.

Tears stained the radioactive scorched earth; the 10mm gun in her hand called to her like a siren's song telling her that she could easily end all of this. Shaun didn't need her. Shaun was probably dead. The likelihood of finding a kidnapped infant in this God-forsaken world was slim to none.

Yet, Nora knew that wherever Nate was that he would've wanted her to keep living. She lived and endured their long separation while he was at war. She lived and endured through Shaun's traumatic and life-threatening birth. She would try to live on and endure this next round of horrors to honor Nate's memory, at least.

Nora steeled her resolve and rose shakily up from her knees. Although the landscape had been ravaged by the bomb, she could easily see the roofs from Sanctuary and the faint glowing red spaceship of the Red Rocket gas station. She wasn't a detective, but she figured that going back to their old home may yield some clues as to what became of their old home.

As she walked along the dirt trail that lead back to Sanctuary, Nora noticed the blackened scorched skeletons of the unfortunate people who never made it to safety. Their bones had been picked clean, but their final dying gestures told the last chapter to their story.

One skeleton was laying over the top of a battered brown suitcase. Another skeleton - a woman, on account of the lime green dress that hung off the body in tatters - was reaching out towards another's remains. The military barricade was tipped over next to them and had been broken into several jagged, wooden pieces. Had one of them tried to breach the barricade? Did the military police respond with deadly force?

Once Nora reached the end of the trail and rounded the corner into Sanctuary,she froze in shock. To say that the town was destroyed would've been an understatement. Of the entire suburb, only five houses remained standing and all looked as though they were about to collapse at any time.

The pale robin's egg blue and lemon yellow paint of the houses was peeling off like birch bark. The streetlights that use to illuminate the nights with their soft yellow glow were broken and some were tipped over. The small playground behind Mrs. Stevenson's house was completely rusted and the swings that the children use to play underdog on were long gone. Cars sat rusted through in their owners' driveways, and human bones dotted the sidewalk like morbid weeds. Sanctuary Hills, her beloved community, was a sanctuary no more.

As she walked over the broken asphalt and overturned street lights, Nora noticed movement off in the distance. Codsworth was trimming the dead hedges outside of their ruined house and was humming to himself.

"Codsworth?"

The robot turned at the mention of his name. "Oh! As I _live and breathe._ Mrs. Nora is that really you!"

Nora rested a hand against the robot's metal exterior. She would've hugged the robot if she could. Despite being a little less shiny than she remembered, Codsworth seemed to be unharmed.

"Oh Codsworth, what happened? What happened to the town? What happened after the bombs fell?"

"Oh Mrs. Nora, it was so awful! After you, the sir, and Shaun left, the beautiful geraniums were _obliterated_. The car rusted; it RUSTED mum, and the house is in a hideous state. I tried my best to keep everything tidy, but have you ever tried to polish rust off a car or clean nuclear fallout from linoleum? I regretfully suggest that you, sir, and Shaun stay somewhere else until I can get this place shaped up. Perhaps I need to run some system diagnostics ... or you may need to pick up a replacement Mister Handy at the General Atomic Galleria."

"Relax Codsworth, this isn't your fault." Nora replied. Although Codsworth was a huge help around the house and a valuable member of her family, his artificial intelligence was rudimentary, at best, and he often worked himself up into a tizzy over problems that he couldn't fix.

"Oh thank you mum. You are most kind." Codsworth sighed in relief "Ah, where are Sir and Shaun? I can't wait to sing Shaun another lullaby."

The mention of Nate made Nora's eyes well up with tears yet again. "Codsworth, Nate is dead. He was murdered and Shaun is gone. He was taken from us."

"Oh come now mum, don't be silly. You must be suffering from hunger-induced paranoia. That's what happens when you are 200 years late for dinner." He chuckled at his own joke.

"What? 200 years? That's impossible. We were in that vault for ten or twenty minutes at most." Yet, as soon as Nora said this she knew deep down that Codsworth was right. The world had indeed changed and this wasn't just the result of an atomic bomb detonation. The entire world looked old.

Nora checked the date on the Pipboy that she had found, and sure enough, the date read May 24th, 2287. She had been in that vault for almost 212 years. Which meant that Shaun...

"Oh God, Codsworth. That means Shaun is dead too. My entire family is dead. There is no way that he could be alive 212 years after the bombs fell. I'm alone."

Nora sank against the dilapidated siding of their old house. As her body sank to the dusty ground, the robin's egg blue paint crumbled around her back and shoulders into a fine powder.

She had so many plans for Shaun's life. They moved to Sanctuary Hills because Nate's service to the country granted him access to Vault 111, but also because Sanctuary Hills was the perfect place to raise a family. She wanted to have the house with the white picket fence. Nora wanted to live the perfect American Dream. Now Nora wasn't even sure if there was an America left to dream about.

"Don't disparage Mum." Codsworth replied, putting a consoling metal claw on her shoulder, "I don't think Shaun is really gone. My CPU is telling me that there is a 98.2% change that he is dead, but that other 1.8% chance means that he could still be alive. I think this is what you humans sometimes call "hope."

"That's ridiculous Codsworth." Nora admonished, "How could Shaun possibly be alive? And even if he is, how would I know where to find him?"

"There are some people over in Concord, mum. You might ask if they've seen a man and a baby pass through there, or perhaps they can point us in the right direction to someone who may know more. Even if it seems unlikely, you have to believe that Shaun is alive. Don't lose hope, mum."

In a strange way, Codsworth was right. Even if Shaun was indeed dead, Nora needed to be certain. Maybe he grew up and escaped his kidnappers and made a life for himself. Maybe he had children or grandchildren who were wandering this new Commonwealth. No matter what, she had to find out what became of her son.

"So, to Concord then?"

"Aye, mum. Although I would set out tomorrow morning. Some good food and some rest will set you right."

"Okay," Nora agreed, "I guess I need some time to process all of this. Also, I need a place to sleep for the night that isn't so exposed. The houses may be empty, but what if someone … or something sneaks up on us during the night?

"I believe that Mr. and Mrs. Parker's house has a cellar which would be a perfect temporary shelter. Shall I show you the way?"

"No, its alright. I remember that shelter. The Parkers had it installed as a failsafe shelter in case a nuclear war actually happened. Honestly, I thought she was being ridiculous."

Codsworth floated into their old house and began humming a folk song to himself like he normally did when preparing breakfast for them in the morning.

Nora surveyed the remnants of Sanctuary as she walked farther into the cul-de-sac and towards the cellar. Mrs. Rosa's house still had Halloween decorations taped to the window. The merry jack-o-lanturn waved cheerily at Nora and the banner that Tyler, Mrs. Rosa's son, made hung askew from ceiling.

Nora never really cared for Tyler. He was eight years old and was a brat. Nora tried to rationalize that part of Tyler's misbehavior was due to his mother working two jobs at Slocolm Joe's Diner in Lexington and then at the laundromat in Concord but even her attempts at empathy could never make up for the time when Tyler thew a basketball at her stomach when she was heavily pregnant. His sneer and sinister giggle told Nora that it wasn't an accident, but she knew that a simple basketball that was thrown by a young kid was not responsible for making her go into labor early. Nevertheless, Nora still held unresolved anger and hatred towards that hoodlum child.

The house in-between the Parkers and the Rosas was unoccupied when Nora and Nate moved in. To their knowledge, no one purchased the house before the bombs fell, and now it would never see its first inhabitant; the ceiling collapsed in on itself and the once shiny new red station wagon sat buried under the destroyed garage.

Engrossed in her reminiscing, Nora didn't notice that two figures moved within Mrs. Rosa's house. At first, the loud buzzing sound reminded her of the fat bumblebees that floated from each flower bed. Of course, it was too late for Nora to remember that all of the flower beds were gone along with the bumblebees.

A sharp stinger hit the back of her shoulder and pierced through her blue vault jumpsuit. The pain was sharp and then spread outward along her neck and shoulders like wildfire. Nora fumbled with the 10mm gun at her hip and began blindly firing at the moving enemy before she could realize what she was shooting at.

The insect's shiny red compound eyes were the size of salad plates and looked like the texture of a golf ball. It's lower thorax was grey and bulging as it readied itself to launch another stinger.

The fly that stung her fell to the ground when her second and more focused shot met its mark. The other fly, however, was gaining ground.

 _So this is how it ends_. She thought bitterly. _I die getting stung to death by giant mutated houseflies._

Nora squeezed her eyes shut and prepared for the pain of another stinger, but as the second bloatfly launched it's projectile stinger, Codsworth flew in front of Nora and blocked the attack. The stinger bounced harmlessly off his metal casing and landed in the dirt. The sound of Codsworth's circular saw pierced through the chaos and it cut through the insect as though it was tissue paper.

"Mum? Are you alright? I came right away when I heard the shooting."

"I — I'm okay I think. But I've been stung by that … thing. It got me in the back."

Codsworth floated behind her to examine the wound. The stinger was pierced a good three inches into her flesh and the skin around it was starting to turn a sickly green color.

"Nothing to worry about mum." Codsworth assured Nora, "I am going to remove the nasty stinger and then get you a stimpack. You'll be right as rain in no time."

Codsworth's gardener sheers appendage was blunt enough after 200 years of use that it could firmly pinch the stinger without cutting through it. In one fluid movement, he ripped the stinger out which caused Nora to gasp in discomfort.

"Sorry, mum. Now, sit tight and I will go get some stims."

Nora sat down on the stoop of the collapsed house and looked at the fly carcass. If common houseflies had turned into monstrous creatures, then Nora wondered and feared what else might be lurking out in this new hellish world.

"Here you are mum, I think a half dose is sufficient." Codsworth handed her an injector with a small red cross printed on its barrel. "Unfortunately, you must do the honors as I don't have opposable thumbs."

Nora picked up the stimpack and removed the plastic cap that protected the hypodermic needle. Her stomach churned. She hated needles because they reminded her of the botched epidural she recieved while she was in labor with Shaun.

Although she wasn't able to reach the puncture wound, she was able to injected the stimpack into the muscle above it. The needle burned as it entered her skin but soon the numbing relief of the stimpack removed her pain.

"Codsworth, could you patrol through these houses and kill any other bugs or creatures that you might come across? I am not ready for all of this." She gestured at the dead bloatfly by her feet.

"Of course, mum. I live to serve! I also took the liberty of whipping you up a small snack. I'm sorry it isn't much, but at least it will be warm."

Codsworth handed her a rusty tv dinner tray with steaming pork and beans. "I'll do a quick check of the Parker's cellar before you turn in, and perhaps I can find some blankets that aren't moth bitten. It may get chilly tonight."

"Thank you Codsworth." She replied before tucking into the warm baked beans. Despite being over 200 years old, the beans still tasted pretty good and eating a warm meal for the first time that day did improve her morale a bit.

Nora surveyed the crumbling town as she ate and began reminiscing over the the memories that her and Nate had made together in their short year living in Sanctuary Hills.

She met Nate when she was a naive undergraduate at Harvard. He worked across the street in a deli near the campus. He was a year younger than Nora and had just graduated high school. Yet, he seemed far more mature than his age. Nora's friends didn't care for Nate because they felt that he was beneath her. He came from a poor working class family from South Boston whereas Nora's family was comfortably middle class. Although Nora's mother stayed at home, she was still widely successful as a door-to-door saleswoman who sold makeup to other housewives in the neighborhood. She had a loyal customer base and was financially independent.

Nora's father, was an employee for General Atomics and had worked his way to a comfortable middle management position. He was close to receiving his pension and had planned to retire to a quiet life of playing golf with his buddies and restoring vintage nuclear fusion cars.

Yet, classism still existed with some of Nora's college friends — many of whom were trust fund children of the Boston elite who only went to Harvard to do something while their parents could prepare a cushy upper management job for them in the Boston government or with some of the local hospitals.

Nora frequented the deli that Nate worked at until it became clear to both of them that she was there for more than just the Tuesday special: Pastrami on Rye.

Nate had a fun sense of humor and loved to laugh. That was until the Nate's number was up and his National Guard unit was chosen to be deployed. Nate and Nora's courtship lasted all of two years before Nate was sent to Anchorage to help fight the Chinese invaders.

On the evening before he was ordered to be vertibirded out, they shared a passionate night tangled in each other's arms. Three months later, Nora wrote to Nate to tell him that she was pregnant. Nora feared that Nate would use this as an opportunity to escape the domestic shackles of parenthood. Nora, herself, was conflicted about the pregnancy because she was three more months short of finishing her law degree.

Nonetheless, Nate was ecstatic about the news. He came home three weeks before Shaun was born and Nora's mother helped them put a down payment on a house in Sanctuary Hills.

Shaun's birth, on the other hand, nearly killed Nora. The baby was breach, the umbilical chord was wrapped around the child's head, and Nora nearly hemorrhaged to death during the delivery. Shaun was delivered via cesarean and Nora had to undergo an emergency hysterectomy to stop all of the internal bleeding.

Nate stood by her during the entire process. He even insisted on putting on a hospital gown and holding Nora's hand during the cesarian delivery. He held her hand throughout her bout with post-partum depression and took on the extra household duties as Nora was confined to bedrest to recover from the birth.

Nate had stood by Nora through every step of their married life and now, for the first time, she was forced to do this next chapter solo.

"Alright Mum. The bed has been made and the cellar is free of those horrible pests. I must insist that you get some rest. Concord isn't far, but you need to be in top fighting shape because the people out there are a little more cantankerous and have lost their old world manners."

"Thanks, Codsworth." Nora said. "And I think it would be best for me to hang around Sanctuary for a little while. The excitement from today showed me that I'm not fit to get into a fire fight when I can barely shoot a gun. Fancy some shooting practice, tomorrow?"

"Absolutely, Mum. What a brilliant idea. I shall fetch some suitable weapons and ammo while you rest."

The air was chill and musty when Nora clambered down the uneven steps that led to the dirt cellar. Once her eyes adjusted, Nora could see a small battery operated lantern, some cans and food supplies, and a large safe which probably contained all of the family's important documents and expensive worldly goods. Unfortunately, Nora was no burglar and couldn't figure out where the lock was hidden on this safe let alone how to pick it.

There was a small twin bed tucked into the corner and placed on wooden pallets. The bed was made up with green scratchy fabric that Nora suspected was once a dining room tablecloth that had been cut into a rectangle shape.

The two pillows on the bed had seen better days. The stuffing was coming out of one of them, and the other one had stains of a questionable origin. Nora spend over an hour trying to will herself to go to sleep, but her body's internal clock must've been thrown out of whack after her 212 year nap.

At around 3:21am, Nora became desperate for some rest and broke the top off of a bottle of bourbon that she found tucked under the bed and poured herself a can full. It tasted like pure rubbing alcohol and burned her nose and throat as it went down. She couldn't stomach more than two swigs of the stuff before she dumped the rest of it into the dirt.

Eventually, Nora drifted off into a fitful sleep where she dreamed of Nate's death as she couldn't do anything but look out the window of her frozen prison cell.


	2. Outta the Fire

**A.N. This chapter is action packed. I tried to model it after the feeling I got playing the Concord mission for the first time on the new Survival mode. So much panic and chaos. I hope you enjoy. Reviews are very much appreciated.**

Chapter 2: Concord

It was eventually two weeks before Nora felt brave enough to venture past the bridge that led out of Sanctuary. Even then, she jumped at the smallest things. A lone radroach charged at her from Mr and Mrs. Baker's old house, and Nora wasted an entire clip into the insect's body before she was satisfied that it was dead.

While Codsworth never judged her, Nora couldn't help but wonder if he secretly wished that Nate could've been the one to survive instead. Nate knew how to shoot a gun. He had some military training which would come in handy when trying to live rough in this unforgiving new land. Nora was soft. She was the intellectual not the mercenary.

Codsworth floated by her side when she finally decided to cross the bridge and head toward the Red Rocket gas station. Nora could see Concord off in the distance, but she could also hear the occasional sound of gunfire. The shooting had started the night before, and she had no desire to check out who or what those people were shooting at.

When she crested the small hill that overlooked the Red Rocket gas station, Nora noticed a handsome dog sitting on the sidewalk. His long coat was mostly free of mats and tangles which meant that someone must have cared for him recently.

"Hey, you." She called out cautiously in case the dog wasn't friendly. "How are you doing, buddy?"

The dog chuffed and wagged his tail as he approached. His eyes were bright and alert and, he nuzzled Nora's empty palm with his cold, wet nose.

The dog barked and began circling both Nora and Codsworth frantically and faced in the direction of Concord.

"No, buddy." Nora replied, ruffling her hand through his soft fur, "I'm not going that way. If that's where your owner is, then you should run off to him. Go on, go home dog."

The dog shook out his fur which looked remarkably like he was shaking his head in defiance. This time, the dog gently grabbed the sleeve of her vault suit and pulled her forward towards Concord.

"No! Bad dog." Nora scolded. "I'm not bringing you to Concord."

The dog whimpered and then growled quietly. He wasn't happy.

"Ms. Nora, perhaps we should just leave him here. Let's scavenge through what's left of this old petrol station and go back home."

Nora nodded and called over her shoulder, "Sorry, dog. You better run home to your master."

The dog cocked his head and watched as Nora and Codsworth walked towards the gas station with an old military bag that they planned to use to carry back any valuable salvage to help make Nora a rudimentary shelter. She didn't mind sleeping in the underground cellar, but Nora really wanted something to call home that wasn't like another underground tomb.

As Nora was walking, she could feel the ground shaking and trembling. The dog began barking furiously and a brown and black blur ran past her. Suddenly the ground exploded and Nora ducked away.

Nate once told her that the Chinese hand planted underground frag mines along their path through the mountains, and one of his team mates lost his leg when he stepped too close to one. Nora surely thought that she had stepped into a live minefield.

Codsworth reacted far quicker and cut apart the first creature that sprung from the ground before torching the second one that jumped for him. The dog tackled another one and began ripping the creature's throat out. Black blood stained the brown sands and again, Nora felt helpless.

In the fray and confusion, Nora didn't notice that a nearby mole rat had submerged back underground and for a moment everything was calm. Nora's 10mm was trained on one of the holes as she tried to remember the rudimentary training that Codsworth had told her once he set up a makeshift shooting range down by the dilapidated playground.

"I'm no Mister Gutsy, mum, but I am enabled with a rudimentary combat matrix so I'm not completely helpless."

Although Codsworth had no experience with ballistic weapons, he did try to teach her the ins and outs of basic survival knowledge when getting attacked by an enemy.

In an explosion of rock and dirt, the mole rat sprang from the ground like an real life carnival game, but instead of hitting it with a rubber mallet, Nora took a breath and squeezed the trigger gently. Time seemed to slow and Nora trained her gun on the creature's ugly, deformed face.

The mole rat exploded into two parts; Nora's shot had connected with the creature's head.

"Oh ho! Good show, mum. You really showed that pest the what for!" Codsworth crooned, his eye stalks were wiggling in excitement and joy.

"Th-thanks Codsworth," Nora replied still shaken from the ambush.

The dog nudged her hand again with his bloody muzzle and let out an excited bark.

"This is just another day for you in the wasteland, huh?" Nora replied. God damn that dog knew how to wiggle its way into her heart.

Again, the dog ran in circles around the two and then tugged her closer to Concord.

"No, dog. I'm not going to Concord." Nora argued.

The dog barked back.

"No!"

This time, the dog let out the most pitiful howl and threw himself onto the ground like a giant toddler that was throwing a tantrum.

"God dammit, shush!" Nora ordered and grabbed the dog by the scruff of his neck and hauled him to his feet. "Fiiiiiine. I'll go to Concord, but as soon as you find your owner I am going straight back home."

"Uh, mum?" Codsworth cautioned, "Do you think this is a good idea. You had a lot of excitement for one day, and it may do you some good to get more shooting practice in before we tackle the great big Commonwealth wasteland together."

"I don't think I have a choice, Codsworth." Nora replied. "If I go back and this dog begins carrying on and howling, I don't want those people in Concord to come investigating our way. I promise, I'll be careful. Plus, I have you with me."

"Yes, mum. I live to serve." Codsworth replied sadly

Soon after making the decision to set out towards Concord, Nora regretted it. As the trio crested the second small hill, two large mutated mosquitos flew up from a rotting corpse and began stabbing at them with their five foot long proboscis. Nora missed more shots than she fired and dropped her full clip of ammo into the dirt in her haste to reload.

The first bug went down in a fiery inferno when Codsworth managed to torch it with his flamethrower. The second bug was much sturdier. The dog jumped up and tried to grab the bug in his teeth (not unlike Nora's family dog did when he tried to catch lighting bugs at night).

Once Nora was able to reload her gun, she trained it on the bug's wings and let out two shots. The first one went too high, but the second one hit the pest and knocked it out of the air. The dog pounced on the mosquito and ripped out it's blood-filled sac.

The dog was now covered in blood, although Nora didn't want to think about whose blood it originally belonged to. But despite the gore, the dog bounded happily down the road as the rust colored fluid fell off his long guard hairs like rain.

As they approached Concord, the shooting got louder, and Nora crouched down in the alleyway near the laundromat.

"We need a plan." She whispered to Codsworth.

"Right-o Mum!" The robot replied. "What are you thinking?

"I'm not exactly a military tactician." She hissed. "I was hoping your survival programing could give us some clues."

"Ms. Nora, my internal programming is telling me to go home right now. I'm only here because you ordered me to."

Nora huffed and peered around the corner. She could see one figure off in the distance. The man was only wearing some cutoff jeans, but he wore a giant cage around his neck and face. It looked like a modified football helmet. He was carrying a wooden baseball bat and was reading a magazine while leaning against some sandbags.

Nora rose her gun and put the man in the middle of the iron sights. She tried to pretend that he was another steel can that was perched on a rock. She just had to squeeze the trigger gently and breathe out when she did so.

CRACK

The main grabbed his right arm as the bullet cut through the muscle. Nora couldn't see the burst of red but she knew her shot hit her mark. The man, however, was much stronger than succumbing to a simple flesh wound, and now he was pissed.

He grabbed his bat and came charging in her direction. "I'M GONNA KILL YA YOU STUPID SLUT!"

Nora shot again and missed. Then shot one more time and hit the man in the leg. He tumbled forward and the bat flew out of his hand. Nora took this time to come out from cover and kick the bat farther away from the man.

Then Nora felt something buzz past her ear. The raider pulled out a small pipe gun that looked like it had been cobbled together with duct tape and shoe strings. It may have been rudimentary, but it was still deadly. She tried to shake off how close the bullet had been to getting lodged in her brain.

She barely had time to think about her next move. She unloaded the rest of the clip into the man's torso until he stopped moving. Thick red blood pooled around his body and his bloodshot eyes looked back at her dazed and glassy.

"Oh ho! Good show, mum." Codsworth cried. "You really showed him what-for!"

"Codsworth, I just killed a man in cold blood. Don't congratulate me for that." She mumbled.

Unfortunately, the gunshots had alerted the rest of his friends of Nora's presence and she could here a man nearby yell, "Come out bitch, and I'll make it quick!"

The dog took off towards the man; snarls and snapping along with cries of pain echoed down the alleyway. Nora didn't even discharge her weapon. The man was dead by the time she got to him. The dog pranced happily past her as though he was on a routine hunting expedition and had just bagged a nice duck.

"Fucking sociopath." She mumbled. The dog panted happily at her, now even more bloody than before.

As they got to the Museum of Freedom, Nora heard a strange electrical sound and saw a burst of red light hit a man in the head. His head rolled right off his shoulders and the decapitated body fell forward onto the dirt road.

"You there!" A voice called, "I need your help in here! We are stranded and there are raiders trying to break into our room. Grab that laser musket and help us!"

The man trained his enormous gun on a raider across the street and hit him square in the chest. Nora had a split second decision to make. Should she run and abandon this party to their death, or should she risk her life because it would be the right thing to do?

"Codsworth, come on." She grumbled. The trio ran to the Museum of Freedom doors and let themselves in.

The ensuing fight through the Museum of Freedom was chaos. Two raiders shot at her as soon as she entered the room. She ducked out of the way just in time before one of their bullets could find their mark. Codsworth dispatched both of them easily, and the dog took off into the next room.

Nora missed more shots than she took. Then, much to her horror, she realized that she was out of ammo. She cursed her luck and picked up a heavy crowbar from one of her fallen enemies. She may not be a great shot, but Nora knew how to swing a weapon. She use to play softball on her high school team and figured that a crowbar wasn't that different from a bat, in theory.

She proved herself right when she ascended the stairs and made it to the third floor. A raider was talking to a friend and Nora cracked the metal over her head before the woman knew what was happening. The dog took down the other raider with a deadly bite to the jugular.

Red bloomed over the blond's shaved mohawk. Nora had cracked her skull and the woman fell to her knees with an anguished cry.

There wasn't time to debate the ethical implications of her murder, so Nora ran to the end of the hallway and burst into the room. Adrenaline coursed through her veins from the firefight. She could understand how some people in the Old World became adrenaline junkies. The feeling of a life or death struggle could be exhilarating as well as terrifying.

Five faces looked back at her with wary concern.

"Miss, we can't thank you enough for coming to our aid. Preston Garvey of the Commonwealth Minutemen at your service."

He extended a gloved covered hand to her which she took tentatively. The man was holding the strangest looking weapon that she had ever seen. It almost looked like the giant water guns that the children in Sanctuary used to cool off during a hot summer's day. Yet, Nora had also seen first hand that this giant gun could take off a person's head at 100 yards.

"I'm Nora." She swallowed thickly. "And this is Codsworth."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Garvey." The robot replied. "I like his manners, Mum."

"Why should we trust her." A severe looking woman asked from the back. The man next to her was skinny and frail. Both of them looked like they had walked through Hell and back to make it to the crumbling museum.

"Nah, she's a good one. I can feel it." A haggard old woman wheezed out. Nora would've giggled if she wasn't terrified by all of these new events. The woman looked like a gypsy or a fortune teller that young girls and hopeless romantics would pay to have their fortunes told at local carnivals. "Dogmeat is never wrong about someone. He led you here!"

The dog barked and weaved through Nora's legs before laying at the woman's feet panting happily.

"Oh, so he's yours?" Nora asked. As much as she loved animals, she could barely take care of herself right now let alone a rambunctious canine who loved to run headfirst into trouble.

"Oh no." The woman replied, "Dogmeat belongs to all of us. He belongs to the Commonwealth herself."

"What brings you to Concord, Mrs. Nora?" Preston asked, slyly changing the subject. Preston was a patient man and felt obligated to protect the old woman because she was one of the last surviving members from Quincy, but sometimes her antics and drug use got on his nerves.

"I'm looking for a child. My son Shaun was taken from me." She couldn't hide the hollowness in her voice.

"Ah man, I'm sorry." Preston replied, "That is rough."

"Your boy is alive!" The old woman prattled and began focusing intently on an invisible object that was perched on her nose. "I — I can see him. He was taken from you, but you will find him again."

Nora was shocked, "How do you know? Have you seen him?" Hope sprang forth and Nora couldn't believe her luck. "Where is my son?"

"Oh, dear. I can't tell you where. I can only tell you that the Great Green Jewel — Diamond City — holds your answers. A man who is not a man can help you." The woman began wheezing and coughing. Her cloudy eyes met Nora's and suddenly she snapped upright like nothing had happened.

"I'm sorry. The Sight is unpredictable. If you had some Jet, perhaps I could look deeper into it. But now I must rest."

"Mamma Murphy, we agreed when we got to Concord that you were going to kick that Jet habit." Preston admonished, "That shit will kill you."

The woman coughed and then cackled, "Oh, Preston. I'me nearly three times your age. since the 'Wealth ain't done me in yet, I think I earned all the Jet I want."

"The only way you're dying, old woman, is safe and snug in your bed." Preston snapped with a tone that meant he wasn't going to continue this conversation. "Look, I hate to impose upon you more, but we need your help. Although you helped me kill most of the raiders outside, the group's leader is going to storm the town. There's a suit of Power Armor on the roof and the crashed vertibird has a mini gun attached to it. I know you're not a mercenary, but maybe use that Power Armor and the mini gun to help us clear out these raiders once and for all."

Nora knew about Power Armor. Nate had lauded it as an amazing invention in his letters to her. A soldier could easily become superhuman with the help of a small nuclear fusion canister that was attached to his back. However, Nora wasn't too keen on living vicariously through her late husband's memory.

"And we can't just…you know… kill them when they get to the town?" Nora asked.

"I mean, you could." A man near a computer terminal replied. He was the physical antithesis of the emaciated couple in the back corner. He was muscular, self-assured, and had a competent look about him. "But, and no offense, you aren't exactly great at fighting. These raiders are far more battle worn and have more advanced weapons than your little pea shooter there. But with the extra protection, the extra strength, and the big ass gun, you may just stand a chance."

"Thanks for your vote of confidence." Nora grumbled.

"I'm just calling 'em like I see them." The man replied with a shrug before turning back to his terminal.

Now that all of the raiders had been killed, the trip back down to the basement was uneventful. Although, hacking the terminal took her longer than she cared to admit. She wasn't a technophobe, but Nora chalked her success up to more of a lucky guess than having skill with computers.

The fusion core was heavier than she expected, but Sturgis was nice enough to come outside with her and show her how to install it in the suit of Power Armor.

"How am I going to get down from the roof?" She asked Sturgis before she climbed into the frame.

"Just jump." He replied. He acted as if Nora had asked him what color was the sky.

Nora clambered into the giant metal machine and felt the back close around her. She forced herself to breathe deeply to dispel the panic and claustrophobia that threatened to overtake her.

"You alright there, mum?" Codsworth asked.

"Yeah." She replied, but she didn't feel fine. Panic and doubt flooded her mind. She wasn't a soldier, dammit! She wasn't her husband.

Nate had once told her that being in Power Armor made him feel invisible. Nora, on the other hand, only felt awkward as she moved her legs like a newborn deer — shakily and unsure.

Nora managed to walk forward and grabbed the mini gun off the vertibird. Even with the strength that the suit gave her, the gun felt was considerably heavier than her little 10mm and it was awkward to hold.

"Hey, we got a live one up here!" A voice yelled.

The raiders had made it to Concord. Their force was nine strong and Nora could see their leader, who was adorned in black painted armor and had a large scoped rifle on the back, lead the garrison to the trapped Minutemen.

The two raiders on the roof across from Nora aimed their weapons and fired. Their bullets bounced off the armor like they were rubber. Nevertheless, the alarms and the beeping dashboard in the suit told her that she couldn't take hits forever, so she aimed the mini gun at them and squeezed the trigger.

Bullets peppered the brick and concrete roof. Red mist exploded from their backs, and they both fell down into a pile of dismembered body parts. Nora's barrel was bright red and was smoking.

"Holy shit," Nora whispered in awe.

The other seven raiders advanced to the hardware store across the street before they saw Nora jump from the roof. Nora landed so hard that a small blast radius formed in the crater that she had created.

"What the fuck—" The nearest raider yelled and took cover. Two more raiders saw Nora raise the mini gun for another attack, broke ranks, and fled black up the street.

Their leader wasn't phased, however. He unholstered his rifle and advanced towards Nora. Even in the spray of bullets, he managed to get a good shot which cracked the glass in her helmet.

The battle lasted all of five minutes before Nora stood before the dismembered and bloodied raiders' bodies. Nora advanced down the street to see if the two who had run off were hiding and waiting to create an ambush.

As she reached the center of town, the ground beneath her feet trembled. Nora took another step, and metal doors on a sewer entrance broke open. A terrible creature sprang forth. This creature was the work of nightmares.

The beast let out an ear-deafening roar before grabbing one of the two fleeing raiders and disemboweling it with its foot long claws.

Nora reacted on pure instinct. She unleashed a torrent of bullets that only seemed to piss off the creature rather than wound it. And now it knew that Nora was there. The creature advanced upon Nora like a freight train. It slammed into her and sent her flying nearly twenty feet back. The impact made her disoriented and her suit was now emitting red flashing sirens and saying "critical failure" in an obnoxious robotic voice.

"I'll distract him, mum!" Codsworth yelled and floated past her to blast the lizard in the face with its flamethrower.

Nora managed to get to her feet and pick up the mini gun. She quickly assessed the physical look of the creature. Perhaps he had a weak point? The creature looked like a giant mutated lizard. The large spines on its back reminded her of an iguana, and its entire body was covered in thick scales the size of roof shingles. At least every area except its stomach.

"Codsworth, I need to get to its stomach!" Nora ordered.

Codsworth was sporting an large scrape in his metallic exterior but he still followed orders. He hovered up the stairs and made it to the second floor of the hardware store.

The large reptile didn't take the bait because he found Nora's shiny metal suit far more appetizing. The lizard grabbed Nora around the waist and slammed her body back into the ground. Nora's head was throbbing, yet she still had hold of the mini gun and decided to take advantage of her situation. She fired the mini gun from underneath the giant lizard. Each bullet hit their mark at point blank range. The creature let out a pained roar and brought its sharp talons across Nora's chest. The metal chest plate of the suit broke off and now Nora was exposed.

"Hey you overgrown lizard!" Preston yelled, "Look up here!" She could hear Preston's gun firing off volley after volley at the creature's head.

Nora's suit was now beeping even faster. The robotic voice was yelling "CRITICAL FAILURE. AUTO EJECT IN 3 … 2 … 1."

The suit's back opened and Nora used all of her strength to push the remains of the Power Armor off her injured body. Her head was swimming in the pain of her concussion, yet she knew that she had to take cover. Without armor, one swipe of that beast's claws would eviscerate her.

Preston kept on shooting and Nora wondered if she could just hide behind the hardwear store's countertop and wait for him to finish the creature off. Unfortunately, Preston's luck had just run out.

"Dammit, I'm out of ammo! Nora!"

Nora could see it. The laser musket that she ignored was laying next to the dead man in a black tricorn hat. The beast, however, was more than happy that his snack had finally ran out of bullets. The lizard began trying to scale the whitewashed balcony where Preston was perched.

"Nora, just crank the lever and then shoot!" He ordered. Preston had no backup weapon, but wasn't enough of a coward to retreat back inside. He resigned himself to beating the lizard to death with a raider's dropped baseball bat than go down without a fight.

The discarded laser musket was thirty feet away. If Nora wasn't quick enough, the lizard could easily cover the same distance in just two steps.

O _h God, Oh God, Oh God_! She thought as she sprinted out and grabbed the musket by its barrel. She didn't look behind her, but she could hear the lizard roar and kick up the ground near her feet.

The doorway was feet way and Nora dove headfirst across the open threshold. Thankfully, she had a guardian angel who cared for her because the beast was too big to get into the hardware store. It merely could swipe its large claws uselessly like a brute playing inside a doll house.

Nora did as Preston told her and cranked up the lever on the side of the barrel. The gun's chamber glowed bright red and Nora aimed her shot right at the beast's bloody stomach.

One shot was all she needed. The laser pierced clean through the animal and the ground rumbled when it collapsed onto the ground dead.

Nora was trembling as she walked out into the destroyed street. Within minutes, Preston and the gang mobbed her and scooped her up into hugs. Even the woman with the severe face — who Nora learned was named Marcy — gave her a congratulatory pat on the back.

"That was a-mazing!" Preston crowed.

"Are you hurt, Mum?" Codsworth asked.

"I'm a little shaken and bruised, but I think I'll be fine."

"Oh, man. Was that your first deathclaw fight?" Sturges asked, "'Cuz I'd say you handled that fight far better than those raiders."

"Um, thanks?"

"So now that we're back on the road, where is our next stop on this non-stop fun adventure." Marcy asked sarcastically. Her snide remark killed any jubilation that was left in the group.

"You could come stay in Sanctuary Hills." Nora suggested. "It's just Codsworth and I for now, and I don't plan on staying there for too long. I don't see why you couldn't make it a permanent home."

"Really? Are you serious?" Preston asked. "We would be in your debt."

As the group made their way back to Sanctuary Hills, Nora wondered if Shaun's survival was all that likely in a world of bloodthirsty raiders and overgrown lizards.


	3. This Strange New World

Chapter 3

A couple more weeks had passed since Nora invited the rag tag Quincy survivors and their Minutemen leader back to Sanctuary Hills. In two weeks, they had planted a rudimentary garden of tatos, mutfruit, and corn. Sturges cleaned out and repaired a hand operated water pump, and Preston and the rest of the gang worked on assembling rudimentary shelters out of the collapsed houses.

The work was hard, but Nora could feel herself getting stronger. The small amount of post-pregnancy baby weight that her body had held after Shaun's birth disappeared and Nora's physical endurance increased with each passing day.

Yet, no matter how tired she was after a day's worth of hard work, Nora's last thought was always of Shaun and Nate. She hoped that Nate was proud of how she had survived her first month in this new world.

Then on a cold, rainy morning Nora decided that she had to go back to Vault 111 one last time. She needed to bury Nate.

Codsworth knew that she had been planning this for a while. He planted the seed into her mind when they were reminiscing about the "old days." When she was recounting the story of their first date, Codsworth interrupted her.

"Mum. Forgive me for saying this but I think we need to give Sir a proper burial."

Nora was taken aback at first. Her anger at Codsworth's suggestion flared but fizzled as quickly as it came. She couldn't be angry at Codsworth. He was taking her late husband's last wishes into account. Before he left for Anchorage, he left behind written instructions about what he wanted done with his body should he die in action.

The instructions were simple and clear: _Bury me, remember me, and live your life_.

Yet, the nearest graveyard was about five miles outside of Cambridge. It would be impossible to get Nate's body there and buried before other wasteland beasts or savages would try to take advantage of her vulnerable situation. No, burying him in Sanctuary Hills was the safest bet.

Nora explained the situation to Preston and the Quincy survivors. She figured that if they were going to live here after she had moved on, they should at least consent to having her dead husband buried beneath the giant tree in the center of the cul-de-sac.

"Nora, I think that is a fine idea. We owe you so much; you saved our lives. We can even arrange a small funeral procession."

Nora choked out, "That's not necessary, but I'm grateful for it anyway."

Late that afternoon, Preston, Codsworth, Sturges, and Nora climbed the hill back to the top of Vault 111's entrance with a piece of roofing that Sturges had welded four handles to so they could carry her husband's body back. Codsworth found the framed American Flag that Nate recieved for his service to the country and presented it to Nora. "I'm sorry for your loss, Mum."

When they got to the entrance, Sturges entered the control booth that was tucked off to the side of the fenced off perimeter. Preston, Nora, and Codsworth stepped onto the platform with the makeshift casket.

"We're ready when you are, Nora." Preston replied.

Nora nodded mutely and felt the platform lower her back into the bowls of the vault once again. The ride down was silent, save for the sound of the rusty elevator being forced to life. When they finally reached the bottom and the security gate opened, Nora felt like she had descended back to Hell.

"Nora, we can find Nate. You don't have to do this you know." Preston offered. He was offering her a way out, and Nora wanted desperately to take it. Yet, she knew that if her places were switched that Nate would've led the charge to rescue her body. Hell, he would've lauded her as a saint rather than mourn her as another casualty of the Great War.

"No, I need to do this." She replied.

Nora led them through the main room. The radroaches that she had killed on her way out were now dried out and crumbling. Preston accidentally stepped on one and it made a sickening crunch which echoed through the corridors.

The lights in the containment room were flickering and some were out completely which bathed the normally sterile hospital-like room in eerie darkness. Thankfully the sirens had died a long time ago. Nora led them to Nate's cryo pod and looked upon her husband's face for the first time since his murder.

His skin was grey and was beginning to discolor as his body began to decompose. The rusty stain on the leather behind his head was the only trace of the crime scene. Nevertheless, he looked … okay, for a man who had been dead for over a month. In a small twist of fate, Nora realized that the refrigerated cryo pod was what actually kept his body so remarkably preserved.

"Oh, dear… Mum, I am so sorry." Codsworth put a consoling claw on her shoulders.

"Yes, Nora. Please, take all the time you need." Preston's voice was low and sympathetic. He had seen a lot of death and misery in the wasteland, but despite its frequency, it never got any easier to deal with.

Nora swallowed the lump in her throat and took in a shaky breath. Nora had very little experience with death prior to this. She had to put her family dog down, but that was expected because he was old. Yet, she remembered crying when she felt the lack of life when the dog finally passed on. There was no life radiating from Nate's body, no aura or soul. He was simply an empty vessel that use to be filled with exuberance and light.

Nora never prescribed to a specific religion. Her mother was baptized in a nondenominational church but never took the family. Her father was an atheist and tried to instill good morals into her without coloring it with religious doctrine. Yet, Nora prayed to any and all Gods that if there was a heaven or an afterlife, that Nate was there.

The trio stayed for a moment longer before Preston gently lowered Nate's body onto the metal roof. Nora covered Nate from head to toe with the American Flag, taking one last glimpse at her husband's face before the fabric enshrouded it. Codsworth followed dutifully behind them as Preston and Nora carried Nate's body back to the elevator.

The trip back was uneventful, and Nora barely remembered any of it. Thankfully the rain had stopped and the sun began to peak through the parting clouds.

Marcy and Jun had dug a six foot tall and five foot deep pit. Mama Murphy had dug up a large boulder from Mrs. Parker's old garden but was too frail to move it to the head of the grave.

Nora and Preston slowly lowered Nate's body into the grave while Sturges moved the boulder and nestled it in between the roots of the giant tree. He then took a blowtorch and burned the words _Nathan. Dear Husband and Father_ into the rock.

Nora wished that she could've picked some flowers for a bouquet, but all that grew in this new world were purple hubflowers so they would have to do.

Codsworth once taught Nate and Nora an old lullaby so they could sing it to Shaun when he had to be shut down to do routine maintenance on his processors. Both Codsworth and Nora sang it — off key and broken by Nora's sobs — which Mama Murphy said was the most beautiful thing that she's seen.

Preston stepped forward and removed his hat to give the eulogy. "I never met Nate, although from what little Nora has told me about him, he would've been the type of guy that this world needed. He served in the military. He was a devoted husband and father. He obviously cared for the people around him. Even in death, Nate is a hero because without his sacrifice, Nora wouldn't be here. So Nate, if I'm indebted to Nora for saving our lives then I'm just as indebted to you too. Thank you, sir."

Nora dropped the pile of hubflowers that she had picked into the grave before Preston, Jun, and Sturges began shoveling the dirt. Nora was frozen to the spot until the men had filled it in completely. Eventually everyone dispersed without much talk. Sturges patted her on the back. Marcy's eyes were red and swollen from her tears, and Jun looked paler than normal and stared at Nate's fresh grave like he had just buried a member of his own family today as well.

When the sun set, Codsworth draped a blanket around Nora's shoulders and left her a plate of warm salisbury steak and tatos that remained untouched. As the sun rose over the hills and the dawn peaked through the foggy morning, Nora hadn't moved from her vigil besides her husband's grave.

"Mum?" Codsworth began. He was concerned. As a robot, Codsworth knew how to empathize because it was in his programming, but he didn't actually feel grief. There was nothing in his processors that told him how long it would take Nora to be okay.

"Hey, Codsworth." She replied. Her voice cracked and shaky. "You fancy a trip to Diamond City?"

"Diamond City, Mum?

"Yeah, that Great Green Jewel, or so they say. We need to look for Shaun now that Nate has been put to rest."

However, she didn't wait for Codsworth's reply. Within an hour, she packed a large military bag with some medicine, food, water, and extra ammo, and a change of clothes that she had stolen from Mrs. Parker's bedroom. The t-shirt was a bit big, but the jeans fit fine despite having a hole in one of the knees.

Before she left, Sturges caught her attention from the house across the street. He was standing next to a workbench that had tools scattered around everywhere.

"Look, I know you're hurting right now but I borrowed your gun and made some modifications. The receiver is more powerful so you'll do more damage. The ammo cartridge is now spring triggered to eject quickly when you press the switch near the handle, and the barrel is a little longer so you'll have greater accuracy."

He handed her the gun and then turned it over in her hands so the side of the handle was facing up. Sturges cleared his throat awkwardly, "I, uh, I also named it for you. Consider it a Commonwealth superstition. Naming your weapons will bring you good luck."

Nora read the words that we're engraved there: _Nate_.

"So … uh. That way you'll always have him with you."

Nora was speechless. She threw her arms around Sturges's thick neck and held him tightly and then broke away to wipe the tears from her eyes. Sturges's ears were red and he tried to evade Nora's gaze.

"You come back here if you ever get yourself into trouble." Mamma Murphy called out. She was sitting in a broken lawn chair next to the small garden and was smoking a cigarette. "This place will always be your home."

Nora raised her hand in farewell and set out towards the entrance to town. Codsworth met her at the bridge and she went to take her last look at Sanctuary Hills.

"Hold up, Nora!" A voice called from nearby. Preston scrambled down the guard post he had created and met them at the bridge.

"You headed out, Ma'am?" He asked.

"Yeah, Preston, I am." Nora replied, "I can't thank you enough for all that you've done for me during these past couple of days. Nate would've still been back in that Vault if it wasn't for you."

"Don't mention it." He replied, "I'm just happy we could give him a proper burial so you could say your farewells."

"Preston, I don't think I'm coming back, but my offer from before still stands. This can be your new home. Maybe the town will be come a community once again."

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that." Preston replied. He looked a little nervous and couldn't meet Nora's eyes. "Look, I appreciate everything you've done for us. We are forever in your debt. But I was hoping that you could offer a helping hand to the rest of the Commonwealth as well. There are other people out there who are in pain and need to know that the Minutemen are still here for them. I want to offer you a job."

"Preston…" Nora began. She wasn't keen about where this conversation was going.

"No, no. Just let me finish." Preston continued. "When the Minutemen disbanded and when our General died, I thought that I would probably die out in the wastes like the rest of them. But I didn't. I had a community of people to support me. We relied on each other and protected each other. I need to stay here and protect these people, but I was hoping that you could go to the nearby settlements and show them that the Minutemen are not dead. Would you be our new General? The Commonwealth needs you, Nora."

Nora sighed, "Preston. I just buried my husband. As you said, he was the man that this world needed, not me. I'm not the person you think I am. If this was Nate, I know that he would've jump at the chance to help anyone besides himself, but I am not a hero. You don't want me to be your General."

"You may not want to be a hero now, Nora, but heroes are made not born. Please reconsider. We need you!"

"No, Preston." She didn't know the man that well, but Preston looked personally wounded at her rejection. "I need to find my son. He is my first priority. I can't accept the responsibility right now."

"You can't, or you won't." Preston replied darkly. His words stung but she chose to let them roll off her back.

"I'm sorry, Preston. Good-bye."

Nora started across the bridge and followed the road down to the Red Rocket gas station. Codsworth followed close by and tried to comfort her, "Miss Nora?"

"Not right now, Codsworth." She ordered. She wouldn't feel guilty about this choice. She needed to set her sights on getting to Diamond City in once piece. She couldn't afford other distractions in her quest to find her son.

Preston and his Minutemen would be fine without her. Or, so she hoped.

~/~

The path to Diamond City was long and hard. It took Codsworth and Nora nearly a week to reach the outskirts of the city because they had to make such a wide detour around Cambridge and Lexington. Nora figured that avoiding larger towns and built up areas would prevent them from running into trouble that they couldn't handle. Plus, being on the open road meant that Nora could spot trouble at a distance and then plan accordingly.

Of course, seeing all of the people of the wastes didn't help assuage Nora's guilt about blowing off Preston's offer to help the Minutemen.

She watched as a woman was murdered by two thugs because she refused to give them money that they thought she owed them. Her son, a drug addict, valiantly tried to fight back against his mom's killers but he was murdered on the spot.

Then Nora came across a woman who had been living with a horde of cats. The five little graves outside of her shack and the woman's crazy rants about being poisoned by the potted meat she bought from a trader clued Nora into the macabre nature behind those five little graves.

Yet, the strangest experience of all happened right outside the diner that Nora had met Nate. She felt compelled to go there even though traveling too close to her old campus was dangerous. Although the diner still stood, the place was in shambles. She was resting her feet in the old corner booth that she use to eat at when she wanted to be close to Nate. That was when she heard someone cry out in the alleyway outside.

"Help me! He's gonna shoot me!"

Nora reacted before she could process whether running blindly into the alley was a smart idea. Outside, two men who looked identical were facing each other. One man had a shotgun pointed at the other.

"Hey, what's going on here?" She asked. Maybe she could defuse the situation if she could get the one with the gun to calm down.

"Stay the fuck out of it." The man with the gun growled, "You're a fuckin' freak, you hear me. You come into my life thinkin' you can replace me!"

"Hey, c'mon woman. Help me. He's gone crazy. He's a synth. He's gonna murder me so he can replace me."

 _Synth_

The word was alien to Nora but she thought she could try to reason with the armed man.

"Hey, look. How 'bout you put the gun down and we all can talk this —"

BANG

The man retched back as the slug obliterated part of his head. The man's cranium painted the concrete behind him with bits of brain and skull.

Nora looked at the assailant, realized that she was unarmed, and prepared herself for a painful death, but thankfully the man holstered the weapon. His muddy brown eyes bore into hers.

"You saw nothing." He growled. Nora nodded mutely and watched as the man sauntered down the alleyway and turned the corner.

"Mum?" Codsworth asked cautiously, "Shall we report this to the authorities?"

Nora bit back a bitter laugh. She was learning quickly that there were no authorities in the wasteland. The only authority was whoever had the more powerful gun.

"We saw nothing, Codsworth. Let's go."

The sun was setting by the time Nora and Codsworth reached the ruins of the Commonwealth Institute of Technology. Before the war, Nora never bothered too much with the place. It was well known as the most prestigious technological college in the world, but most of the students there were far too neurotic and abused too many mentats for her liking.

Nora's Pipboy told her that Diamond City was only a short walk to the south so she decided to make the trip rather than make camp in the ruins.

Nora snuck across the broken lift bridge and walked down the deserted street while fiddling with her Pipboy. The green iridescent glow was bright enough to act as a flashlight in the setting sun, but Nora didn't realize that its brightness meant that she was a target for other unsavory characters

"Who's there?" A gruff voice asked. Nora's blood ran cold and she shut off her Pipboy. "You don't need to hide. C'mout, I wont bite…hard."

Nora ducked behind a low cobblestone wall and grabbed her gun tightly.

"Codsworth," She hissed, "Hide."

The robot's eyes moved around frantically as he searched for a nook or cranny that could hide a robot of his size. Unfortunately, he was too late.

"Hey, there's a robot over here." The man shouted to a woman nearby.

"No shit? Let's kill it and use it for scrap." The woman's laugh was shrill and cruel.

The bullets bounced uselessly off Codsworth's metal casing, but he still tried to escape down an alleyway.

"I'll get him!" The woman cried.

With the woman distracted, Nora came out from her hiding spot only to have a large, grimy hand cover her mouth and knock her off balance.

"What do we have here?" He chuckled. The man smelled of urine and cheap booze. Nora wanted to gag, but she was afraid to open her mouth. "You look all dressed up and with no where to go."

He eyed Nora's body hungrily. "Mmmmm." And so soft too. The raider roughly groped her breasts over her dirty t-shirt and roughly pushed himself against Nora's back. "Whaddya think, girl. Ya wanna party with us? I'll show you why they call me Slab."

He laughed lecherously until Nora bit down hard on his hand.

"YOU STUPID CUNT" He roared and backhanded her across the face with his other hand. Nora's head spun and her vision blurred from the pain. Nora swayed where she stood and blindly fired her gun at Slab.

A strangled cry rang out in the night. The shot wasn't fatal but it was wounding. Nora took off down the alleyway that Codsworth went down and found Slab's female companion polishing Codsworth's aluminum and steel casing which had a large gash in the side from her bloody machete.

Nora took aim at the blond's head and fired. The shot missed and instead grazed her shoulder.

"You stupid bitch." She sneered. "If you're gonna shoot someone, make sure you kill them on the first try."

She threw Codsworth's shell back at the robot who was beeping frantically; his eyestalks were trembling in fear.

The woman grabbed Nora around the neck and pinned her against the wall. The blond unsheathed the large steel machete that was at her hip and put it to Nora's face.

"Let's see here." She sneered. "Should I make this quick and boring or slow and fun?"

Nora wasn't sure what 'slow and fun' meant, but she knew that it wasn't anything good. Pain bloomed along her temple before Nora realized that the raider had cut her along her left eye. Blood began to cloud her vision and Nora struggled even harder against her captor.

"Yes, squirm little girl. No one's gonna help you now." The woman's grip on her throat grew tighter and she was losing consciousness quickly as the blood in her neck couldn't circulate to her brain.

Nora had seconds left before she blacked out. Her next shot had to count. Nora rose her pistol to the raider's neck and shot at point blank range through the only non-armored part of her body.

The woman let out a sick gurgle and coughed blood in a red mist that peppered Nora's face. Her face contorted into a feral snarl as she dropped Nora and brought her empty hand to the hole in her throat.

In her death throws, the raider blindly swung her machete at Nora which cut through her flimsy t-shirt and sliced through the skin in her right hip.

Nora sank down the brick wall. She whimpered in pain when she put pressure on her hip. Her body trembled and her left eye was completely blinded with blood.

Codsworth flew over to her and pulled her by her ruined t-shirt. He beeped and chirped frantically; his voice modulator had been damaged. Without his protective metal casing, Codsworth's insides sparked periodically.

Nora knew what Codsworth wanted. They needed to move before other raiders came to investigate the shooting. She forced herself to her feet and grabbed Codsworth's damaged metal casing.

They took off further down the alleyway and then Nora spotted graffiti on the wall which pointed the way to salvation

"This area is protected by the wall." The white paint said. There was en emblem painted next to it of a solid diamond outlined with another larger diamond.

Off in the distance, city streetlights illuminated a heavily fortified checkpoint. Nora staggered down the street and tried to get the attention of two guards who were armed with umpire equipment. Unfortunately, they had heard shouting and gunfire down the next street and took off to investigate.

Then Nora heard a voice from behind two watchpost barricades. "C'mon Danny, you can't keep me locked outside forever. I live here dammit!"

"Sorry, Piper. I'm under the Mayor's orders."

"Oooooh, the Mayor." She sneered, "The all powerful man himself wants to keep me out?!"

Piper would've continued her rampage if it wasn't for the bleeding woman who collapsed near her feet.

"Please, help me." Nora croaked out. Her pulse was pounding in her head and Nora's eyesight was closing in on itself.

"Oh shit! Hey, uh. Blue? Shit. Shit. DANNY! DANNY!"

"WHAT PIPER?!" The man had yelled so loud that he had created feedback in the intercom. The man was at his wit's end with Piper that evening.

"Open the god damned gate. A woman just collapsed. I think she's bleeding to death."

"You better not be joking, Piper." He grumbled. "That would be a new low, even for you."

The sound of the giant hydraulic doors met Nora's ears before she lost consciousness.

She and Codsworth had survived and had made it to the Great Green Jewel of the Commonwealth. Now all Nora tried to focus on was staying alive long enough to find her son.


	4. Diamond City

Chapter 4

 **A.N.** Okay, Piper is really hammed up in this chapter. I promise that she will tone down in later chapters. I always imagined that her zealousness for the truth and the 'story of the century' would make her seem like a little bitty hyper toy dog that was yapping until someone noticed it or got too annoyed.

* * *

Nora groaned in pain when she woke up. Her hip felt like it was on fire, and the entire side of her face felt numb.

"Ah, you're awake." A man's voice said. Nora froze in panic. Did she end up passing out in the street? Did she now have to endure more torture from the rest of the raider gang?

She tentatively opened her eyes and noticed a metal ceiling above her, and a man with dark hair and a white doctor's coat was putting away his medical supplies in a heavy black doctor's bag.

"Oh, thank God. You're awake." A female's voice came from the doorway. She was dressed in a red overcoat and red pants. She wore a hat with a ticket in the brim that read "Press." Nora realized that she was the woman trying to get into Diamond City.

"Uh. Hi?" She replied cautiously. "Where am I?"

"You're in my house." The woman replied but recieved an offended scoff from a smaller teenage girl reading a newspaper whose headlines read: MAYOR MCDONOUGH: SUSPECTED SYNTH OR SYNTH SYMPATHIZER?

"Oh, alright. You're in our house. This is my sister Nat. I'm Piper. You probably don't remember me on account of trying to become one more Commonwealth casualty."

"And I'm Dr. Sun." The dark haired man replied abruptly. "I put in a lot of hard work to keep you from dying." Nora discovered that she didn't really like this Dr. Sun. He sounded pompous and arrogant. Plus his bedside manner left a lot to be desired.

"Um. Thanks, both of you." Nora replied and took another try at sitting upright. The events of the evening before were slowly coming together. Then she realized that someone important wasn't in the room with her.

"What happened to Codsworth? He was the robot who was with me. He was also injured in the attack."

"I took him to Arturo." Nat replied. "Don't worry, he can fix anything. Although, why were you traveling with a Mr. Handy anyway? Are you a Gunner?"

"Nat, Gunners use Mr. Gutsys." Piper replied tousling the girl's hair, "Besides, Blue isn't a Gunner. She's a Vault Dweller, right?"

"How did you know that?" Nora asked.

"Oh, c'mon! The "fish out of water look" is a dead giveaway. Plus, I found a vault suit in your bag. I've never heard of Vault 111 before. What was it like?"

"Cold." Nora bit back. She couldn't help but feel a little irritated at Piper for having invading her privacy. Although, its not like she had anything in her bag that was incriminating or personal. But still, it was the principle of the matter.

"Cold, huh? Say, I would love to interview you for a story that I'm working on. I'd love to hear about your unique experience growing up in a Vault, Mrs…"

"Nora. It's just Nora. There's no Mrs."

"Nora? I like Blue better myself, but whatever you say." Piper was grinning. She really played into the pushy reporter trope. She reminded Nora of the field anchors or the press conference reporters who would lob questions at politicians when they were in the midst of a personal scandal.

"Well, my work is done here." Dr. Sun interrupted. "I'll leave the bill here for you. You can come buy my office and pay me. I'm right by the steps as you leave so you can't miss it. Besides, I would rather you pay now since I have a feeling you'd ruin my hard work by getting yourself killed as soon as you step outside."

"Thanks Dr. Sun." Piper replied a little too cheerily as she walked him to the door "It's always a pleasure to work with you rather than your freakazoid partner, Dr. Crocker."

As soon as Dr. Sun left, Piper closed the door and ripped up the bill. "What. an. asshole."

Nat giggled behind the open newspaper.

"Don't worry about paying that man, Blue. I'll cover it. I figure I've gotten into enough trouble in the past that a few good deeds should make up for it and set my karma right."

"Um, thanks." Nora replied. She really was grateful to Piper, but she wasn't thrilled that now she owed something to the nosey reporter.

Nora rose up from the bed and noticed that she had on a man's long sleeved t-shirt. The jeans from the previous night were still okay, albeit a little blood-stained.

"Yeah, that shirt use to be our dad's." Piper replied as she tossed Nora a foil wrapped Fancy Lad Snack Cake. "I figured you'd get better use out of it than either of us. I mean, most of our clothes are still intact and free of bloodstains."

Nora looked at Piper suspiciously. For the amount that Piper talked, Nora couldn't get a good read on her character. She seemed like someone who could be a good friend, but Nora sensed that Piper had an ulterior motive besides simply being a good samaritan. So she decided to turn this interview around and ask the tough questions.

"So, Piper. Why were you locked out of your city?"

"Huh? Oh that stuff with Danny? Oh, it's nothing. The mayor here doesn't like me, and he does everything he can to keep me from Diamond City. He says that I'm dangerous. He's just angry because I'm someone who wont choke down all the bullshit he feeds us about keeping everyone here safe. If you ask me, he's just using me as a easy scapegoat to distract the populace from the real menace — The Institute."

"The what?" Nora asked.

"Oh c'mon Blue. You can't tell me that you've never heard of the Institute. The Commonweath Boogymen? They're the reason why people have been kidnapped all across Boston and then become replaced with exact replicas of themselves."

"Did you say, kidnapped?"

"Yeah, like one day you'll be at home with your family and then BOOM the next day your dad goes missing for a week and then turns up and acts like nothing ever happened. Only then, he turns on you and your family because some wires got crossed in his programming and he goes all haywire and murderous." Piper spoke quickly; her eyes were wide like a young child's who just got duped with a scary ghost story. However, Nora couldn't stuff down the uneasy feeling that Piper was partially right about this Institute and their kidnappings.

"Well, that's why I'm here Piper. My son was kidnapped."

Piper's eyes got even wider and then she smirked. "Oh this is good. NO! I mean it's bad for you. I'm so sorry that happened. But I mean, it's good because now I have proof to bring to that smug asshole McDonough. He thinks that I've been making up these stories to drag his name through the mud. Hah! As if I need to make up stories to do that. No, you see. If we both go to McDonough and you tell him your story about your kidnapped son then he'd have to admit that the synth problem is real."

Nora's head spun, in part due to the head injury, but also due to Piper's exuberance and vindication.

"I don't know, Piper. I'd rather just talk to a cop or someone. I don't even know when my son was kidnapped. I've been cryogenically frozen for over 212 years."

"Really? Cool!" Nat replied.

Piper, on the other hand, looked like she had just won the investigative journalist lottery. "Ho — ly shit, Blue. You're incredible. So you're telling me that you're from before the bombs?"

Piper didn't wait for Nora's confirmation and instead squealed, "This is it! This is my big break. This is the story of a century, and you're going to help me write it. Oh, I can picture it now!"

Piper held out her hands in a mock movie lens frame and began narrating in a faux movie trailer voice, "In a world where one woman tears apart the Commonwealth Wasteland to find her son. She becomes the hero that the wasteland desperately needed. One woman will risk life and limb to find the child she lost so long ago…"

Nat was enthralled but Nora rolled her eyes. Why did everyone want her to become the hero of the wasteland?

"… and perhaps she'll find love along the way." Piper shot her a wink before giving her a friendly pat on the back. "C'mon, it would be a hit. That is, if we still had working televisions."

"No, really Piper. Can we please just keep this quiet for now. You know … like off the record or something? I just got here and I don't want the town to suddenly treat me like I'm looking for trouble."

That took all of the wind out of Piper's sails. She deflated a little before taking a seat next to Nat. "Uh, yeah. Sure. I guess."

"Thanks." Nora replied. "So, where would you go if you needed help finding someone?"

"Oh that's easy," Nat piped up, "Mr. Valentine is Diamond City's detective. He's pretty good at finding people."

"Yeah, I can show you the way if you'd like, Blue." Piper replied.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Piper." Nat replied, "If McDonough is looking for you, then you shouldn't be running around Diamond City. You were just exiled and I don't want you to leave again. Besides, I can show Nora how to get to Valentine's."

"Are you sure, kid?"

"Ugh, Piper. I'm not a kid anymore. I'm fourteen. And yes, I'm sure."

"Well, that settles it. Nat, I'm ready when you are." Nora replied abruptly. Their discussion had left her a little irritable, and she wanted nothing more than to just find Codsworth and get out of this small trailer with the nosey reporter.

Nat sprang up nimbly from the couch and led Nora outside into the bright afternoon sun.

"Be careful out there, kid" Piper warned.

"I will!" Nat replied back blowing her sister a kiss.

Nora squinted against the sun's harsh rays and ungracefully stumbled out of the trailer. Her hip was throbbing now, and Nora hoped that getting to the detective wasn't that far of a walk.

"This is Diamond City." Nat cried out with her arms outstretched. "The Great Green Jewel of the Commonwealth."

The place was impressive. Nora marveled at the ingenuity to settle in the ruins of a Pre War baseball stadium. The empty stands acted like a natural wall against the outside dangers, and the large floodlights illuminated most of the areas at night to dissuade brigands or unsavory activity.

Nat began to run from place to place like a small overly excited dog and would blurt out the person's name and backstory before rushing right off to the next person. If the citizens were annoyed at the girl's hyperactive behavior, they didn't let on. Even a couple of them tipped their hats to Nat when she ran by.

Nora saw the All-Faith's Chapel which sat unimposing but welcoming at the city entrance, the butcher who was carving up some strange looking cuts of meat, the city barber who was dressed in a pompadour wig and a greaser's jacket, and Takahashi, a robot who's only purpose was to make and sell noodles.

"And this is Arturo Rodriguez" Nat gestured to a Latino man who was dressed in military fatigues and had an assortment of weapons on display. "He's a magician when it comes to fixing things."

"You're too kind, Nat." He chuckled, "Ah, you must be Nora. I have something of yours."

He opened up the metal door to his trailer and called in, "It's alright, you can come out. Nora's here to pick you up."

Codsworth tentatively floated across the threshold. His eyestalks quivered in excitement when all three eyes saw that Nora was alive. "Oh Mum! I was so worried. I am so relieved that you're alive."

Nora chuckled as she laid a comforting hand on the robot's repaired metal husk, "I'm happy that you're alive too Codsworth." Her hand ran over a deep metal scrape that looked like it had been sanded down.

"Yeah, he took quite a beating. I did some tune up work on his processors and internal programing, but his hull will never be the same. You could always swap the hull out from a fresh Mr. Handy, but the scar is more cosmetic than structural."

"Thanks for taking care of him." Nora replied. "I don't have any money to pay you with, but this is all I have."

Nora slipped off her gold wedding band and handed it over to the man. "The metal is pure gold. I don't know how much its worth now, but hopefully this will make a fair trade."

"No, Mum! Not your wedding ring!" Codsworth protested.

"He's right, you know." Arturo replied, handing it back to Nora with a small smile. "I can't accept something this sentimental. How 'bout you work for me for a few days. I always need help cleaning up my workbench and doing small tasks for me while my daughter is in school. I can teach you some things about armor crafting. Good armor will help keep you alive, you know"

"Thanks, I think I'll take you up on that offer." Nora replied happily. "I have a few more things to take care of, but I will check in with you later today.

Arturo rose his hand in a farewell and returned back to his work of hammering leather into shape.

As Nora, Codsworth and Nat walked into the alleyway that led towards the baseball dugout, Nat pointed her hand at the red illuminated sign that said "Detective."

"If you take a right by that sign and follow the lights to your left, you'll hit Mr. Valentine's Agency. You can't miss it. He's a pretty good guy. Just…don't stare, okay. He gets enough of that as it is."

"Thanks, Nat." Nora replied.

"Stay out of trouble Nora." Nat replied and took off down the alleyway and went back towards the marketplace.

"Mum?" Codsworth asked cautiously, "I was wondering if I could have a word for a moment."

"Sure, go ahead Codsworth.

Codsworth sighed. It was such a human expression that Nora turned and gave him her full attention. "Codsworth, is everything alright?"

"Mum. I am programmed to serve you unquestioningly. But last night, you almost died and —"

"I know, Codsworth." Nora interrupted, "I'm sorry about that. I was rash and stupid. I shouldn't have been so careless when I was out in the open."

"You're right about that, Mum." Codsworth admonished before he continued, "But, as I was saying, I failed in my duties to protect you and Shaun. That was the one order Sir gave me when he put me together in the garage. I don't think I can protect you in this new world. I can't keep protecting you if you willingly put your life in danger."

"What are you saying Codsworth?" Nora asked. "You're the one who told me to not lose hope and that I would find Shaun."

"I know, Mum. But, now that you are with other people and have a solid start in finding him, I don't think my services are necessary anymore. I think you should release me from duty."

Nora blinked deliberately as she tried to process this request. Codsworth had been with their family nearly a year and had stayed at their house for the duration of their frozen incarceration. Now Codsworth wanted to leave?

"Codsworth, are you angry with me?" Nora was unsure about her question. Could robots even get angry?

"No, Mum. I am angry with myself." I failed to protect you, so please, if you release me from your service then I can return back to Sanctuary Hills and perhaps be of some use to Mr. Garvey and his Minutemen. I am no use to you as a liability. I will only get you killed."

Nora wanted to argue and dissuade Codsworth, but she also knew that he was right. Her decisions should only affect her. Codsworth's scar was a small price to pay for Nora's ignorance about this new world.

"Okay Codsworth." Nora replied. Each Mister Handy was given a recall code to verbally issue in case of customer dissatisfaction. Nora just happened to remember the number because it coincided to the date of purchase for the Mister Handy. Codsworth was bought on Nate's twenty-fifth birthday.

"Mister Handy model number VSM01082077 is dismissed from service."

Codsworth shuddered for a moment. A series of beeps and trills emanated from the unit and then Codsworth turned around and floated at breakneck speeds towards the Diamond City exit.

"Fly far, fly fast, Codsworth." Nora muttered in farewell. She felt a lonely emptiness now that she was officially up against the Commonwealth's dangers all alone. She hoped that feeling would abate once she talked to this Nick Valentine and see if he would be able to take her case.

She found the place easily enough. The red neon signs illuminated the way. Outside the red metal door, Nora took a deep breath and stepped across the threshold that led to Valentine's Detective Agency.

The office was small inside. One desk was tucked tightly into the back corner of the room. There were some open files spread over one side and a cup of forgotten coffee creating a condensation ring on one folder which read "The Mysterious Stranger." The other desk to the left of the room was bigger and was overflowing with boxes of paperwork.

"Oh, Nick. What trouble did you get yourself into." A pretty woman asked herself as she leafed through a file folder before throwing it into a pile with the others.

"Um, excuse me?" Nora said. "I'm looking for Detective Valentine? I was told that he could help me. My son has been kidnapped."

The woman looked at her sadly. She looked stressed and Nora suspected that it had nothing to do with the amount of paperwork that swamped her desk.

"I'm sorry. The agency is closed."

"Um, Piper sent me?" Nora replied, "She said that a Nick Valentine could help me."

"Yes, well he could, but he's gone missing." The secretary let out a little sob before straitening herself up and grabbing another large box full of files from a broken bookshelf. "He's been gone for two weeks now and nobody has seen him since he left to look for the gagster, Skinny Malone. All I know is that he was last seen around Park Street Station."

Nora couldn't help but smirk at the irony. A detective who was now a missing person? That sort of scenario was usually found in those old 'noir novels that her mother use to buy while in line at the grocery store.

"I can check out Park Street Station if you want." Nora offered. If finding this Nick Valentine was the only way to be one step closer to finding her son, Nora decided that she might as well try.

"Oh, no. I couldn't ask you to do that." The woman replied. "You don't look like you're the mercenary type and Nick, would never forgive me for sending some poor sap to her death to try and rescue him."

"I may not look the part," Nora reasoned, "But I'm the cheapest person. Plus, if he's been missing for two weeks then that means I'm the only person who's cared enough to offer to help look for him."

Ellie's discerning look. "Okay, doll. If you want Nick to take your case so badly, then find him and bring him home safe and alive."

"I'll try." She replied.

When Nora walked back out into the streets, she felt overwhelmed by the task. She barely made it to Diamond City without dying. How could she possibly go up against a rival gang who kidnapped a detective?

Nora held onto the gold wedding ring and muttered a silent prayer. "Nate, help me get through this. Help me find our son."


	5. Confidence Man

A.N. The beginning of this is a little awkward. But this chapter will cover most of the quest "Confidence Man" and a lot of great, humorous innuendos. Then we will finally get to the main event in Chapter 6 — Nick Valentine. Please enjoy. Reviews and kudos are very appreciated.

* * *

Chapter 5

Five days had passed since Nora had been saved by Piper. During those five days, Nora spent time working with Arturo and spent the evenings wandering the shining city.

During this free time, she realized that Nat had only shown her part of the sights. Nora wandered into the outfield and was amazed by the prosperous farm the town had set up.

She met a man who was tasked to paint the wall, she never caught his name, but he was nice, polite, and reminded her of the older men who sat playing checkers on the street corner. Like he was simply content paint the wall and to watch life pass him by.

Nora also came across the young boy who ran the water purifier. He didn't talk much about his personal life but acted like he was far older than he actually was. He reminded Nora of the kids who would dress up in their father's business suits and pretend to go to work. He was peculiar, to say the least.

Nora spent her first couple of nights at a hovel called the Dugout Inn. The place looks like it use to be the dugout for the home team. Red posters which had emblems that were faded beyond all recognition decorated the outside. On the inside, however, the entry area was cluttered with cobbled together bits of furniture and the walls were bare.

The two brothers, Vadim and Yefim were like a comedy routine come to life — a dark comedy, but funny nonetheless.

They spoke in broken English and their thick Eastern European accents reminded Nora of the spy movies that she would watch with Nate at the Lexington cinema.

Despite their bickering, Vadim and Yefim were generous people. They not only cut Nora a deal for staying there, but Vadim then pulled her aside and asked her if she was looking for some extra work.

"What do you think of the DJ on the radio station?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Um, to be honest. I haven't listened to the station. I'm new in town."

"Well, let me tell you then. He is terrible. He is the worst DJ I have ever heard. But I have plan to fix this. Do you want to hear Vadim's plan?"

Vadim was leaning across the bar and motioned for her to come closer. When Nora did, Vadim whispered, "I think we kill him, yes?"

Nora's eyes widened in shock and fear. "What? NO? Are you crazy?"

The man looked serious. His eyes were set hard but then he broke. He laughed and slapped the bar countertop which made a couple patrons' beer bottles shake. "AHAHA, I kidding you! You should see the look on your face."

Yefim was on the other end of the bar cleaning classes with a rag and a dishpan full of soapy water. He rolled his eyes, "My brother think he's comedian. As if death is funny to joke about."

Nora liked Yefim. He was practical and responsible, but Vadim's impulsive and happy personality was endearing too.

"Hah, good one Vadim." Nora conceded. "But what is this plan of yours? I'm looking to help if I can."

"Okay, okay. Vadim's plan is this." The man said, "I will have Travis come to the bar. He will get into a bar fight and you will help him fight, yes?. The men I hired will not hurt him too bad. Travis will easily beat them and he will get his confidence."

The plan sounded straightforward. "Okay, I'm in. What do you need me to do?"

"Come back here in a couple hours. Dress like normal. You know, in clothes. Not in Vault suit."

Nora agreed, although she wasn't sure what Vadim had against her blue Vault jumpsuit, but she decided to stick to the plan. She told Vadim that she would be back at six o'clock.

She walked across the Marketplace but purposely avoided the Valentine Detective Agency. While she agreed to find the missing detective, she also felt gun shy from her last battle with the raiders, and something told her that investigating this missing person would take her into far more dangerous territory than a small scuffle with raiders ever did. She still needed more time to prepare. She also needed more time to find her courage before she set out again.

When she passed by Arturo's shop, he gave her a small nod and a wave. Nora didn't learn a lot about armor work during those five days with Arturo and his daughter, but she did manage to create her own pair of leather leg guards. They weren't pretty, but they had pockets so she could cary extra bottle caps or even small medical items.

As a reward for her hard work, Arturo also gifted her a set of shadowed leather armor for her shoulders and chest. He told her that she needed to wear them in case she ever had to sneak out of a situation rather than try to fight her way through it.

She protested, but he insisted. He told her to consider the armor as a "welcome to the neighborhood" gift. Nora also suspected that Arturo was also grateful because Nora had nearly tripled his profits when she was helping a rich customer while he walked his daughter to school.

The man in question wanted to buy a standard combat rifle, but Nora had managed to sweet talk him into buying the combat rifle and also a modified pistol that could shoot double bullets in one shot. Arturo was so impressed with her sales pitch that he gave her a cut of the profits as a way to say thank you.

Now over one hundred caps jingled in her pockets and Nora felt secure and content for the first time in a while.

She ate dinner at the noodle stand and enjoyed the idle chatter of the other patrons. That was until a man's yell startled her from her thoughts.

"Jim, what the fuck are you doing?" The man cried. He was on his knees, and he was being strangled by another man.

"Hey, stop that!" A guard yelled. By now a considerable crowd had gathered around Takahashi's stand.

The man being choked was beginning to turn red and then purple. The other man looked like he had lost his mind. There was no other emotion in his face besides pure rage.

"This is your last warning!" The guard yelled, but the man didn't relent.

A shot rang out from the crowd. The guard had shot the assailant in between the eyes, The man fell over dead while his victim began coughing and sputtering in the street.

"Tha—Th—That man was my b—brother! My own brother was trying to kill me. He freaked out and went crazy. I couldn't do nothing to stop him!"

"Move along. There's nothing to see here." Another guard yelled as two other men helped remove the man's body from the marketplace.

"I'm going to need you to come with me for questioning." The guard said to the terrified man.

He nodded and quietly followed the guards towards the other baseball dugout which had been turned into a makeshift jail. He was trembling and trying to choke back sobs.

Nora heard him whine, "But he was my brother!" before he was ushered out of sight.

All Nora heard as she made her way back to The Dugout Inn were whispers of the Institute and their kidnappings. It made her uneasy, but Nora pushed those feelings down to focus on the task at hand.

Despite the action in the marketplace, the Dugout Inn was in the middle of it's dinner rush. All of the tables were full, so Nora stood by the bar and ordered a beer.

Vadim handed her an ale and whispered to her, "Travis is on other end of the bar. He is wearing red jacket and has dark hair. Go talk to him. Show him your charm. Then I will tell my friends to come and break up your fun."

Nora thought that Vadim was enjoying this ploy a little too much. Yet, she did as she was told and brought her drink to a newly vacant seat next to Travis.

"Come here often?" She asked when she sat down. The man in question looked positively fearful of everything. His eyes flitted nervously back and forth and a thin sheen of sweat was building on his forehead.

"Wh—who? M—Me?" He stuttered. "No. I'm — I — I'm the DJ, I mean I run the … Diamond City radio." When he said, 'Diamond City Radio' it sounded like a canned sound byte.

God, this was going to be harder than she thought. This man was afraid of his own shadow.

"Oh, you're the man who voices the Diamond City Radio? I'm so happy to meet you. I love listening to your broadcast before I go to bed."

Nora tried to stifle her giggles. Flirting wasn't her forte. Nora's flirtations with Nate were textbook examples of a schoolgirl crush: the heated stares, the blushes when their eyes met, and the lingering handholding. As much as Nora wanted to be like sultry femme fatale archetypal women in the movies, she was more like the quiet girl next door that you would take home to meet your mom.

"I, uh." Travis's brain seems to malfunction as he tried to process the innuendo. "Well, I'm happy that I — I could put you to sleep. I mean, that you could listen to me at night."

"Can I buy you a drink?" She asked. She held Travis's gaze and sweetly smiled.

"N—No that's okay. I mean, no thank you. I don't really drink. It makes me m—more nervous. I'm just here because Vadim wanted to talk to me."

"Oh, c'mon" Nora replied and batted her eyelashes, "Just one drink? I promise to not take advantage of you. I'm new in town and I want to get to know some people here."

That seemed to work because Travis stuttered out, "Okay? I—I mean, Okay."

Nora waved down Vadim. "I'd like another beer please, and I'd like to get this gorgeous man whatever he wants to drink."

She shot Travis a wink. His faced flushed and he suddenly found something more interesting to look at on the floor.

Vadim clapped Travis on the back. "You are the lady killer tonight, my man. First women buy you drinks, then you take them back home, and then you turn off radio for a night and make sweet music to different songs, yes?"

Nora nearly choked on her beer and then she felt her own face flushing in embarrassment, but hell "in for a penny and out for a pound," right?

"I would love to go back to your place and check out what other music you might have." Nora replied and lightly touched his left knee.

Travis jumped at the touch and then stood up suddenly. "V—Vadim?" His voice was nearly an octave higher. "I — I have to go. I — I'll just stop b—by tomorrow to hear what you have to tell me."

But as Travis tried to cut through the thickening crowd to head towards the exit, two rough-looking men came up to him and shoved him to the side.

"Get the fuck outta my way." The man in a black leather jacked growled.

"Yeah," the other man replied. "Who the fuck do you think you are? Have you no manners?"

"Wh-Who? What? No, I — I'm s—sorry." Travis stuttered out.

"Ohhh, poor baby. Gonna cry now?" the man in the jacket taunted. "Go suck a dick you fuckin' pussy."

Nora saw Vadim watching the events unfold like a hawk and then realized that these two lowlifes were the men that Vadim had hired.

"Are you gonna let them talk to you like that Travis?" She replied. "C'mon, stick up for yourself."

It was as though a visible confidence meter could be seen above Travis's head. As he processed the situation and the insults, the tick rose from "hopelessly pathetic" to "scaredy cat."

"Um. D—Don't talk to m—me like that." He replied lamely.

The two men looked at each other before laughing riotously. "Oh, poor baby. You gonna go cry to mom now?"

Nora whispered in Travis's ear once more. "C'mon man. Stick up for yourself. You are better than them. These guys are just high school bullies. Don't let yourself be pushed around."

The man in the black jacket shoulder checked Travis as he went by, but something snapped and Travis shoved him back. The entire bar fell silent as they watched the scene unfold.

"Oh, you are gonna regret doing that, you pussy princess." The man growled. The man punched Travis in the face. He reeled back and held his lip which had now turned bloody and fat.

"C'mon Travis," Nora yelled, "Fight back. Don't give up!"

Travis narrowed his eyes at his attacker and then unleashed an animalistic roar. He pushed the man into the wall and held him there with one hand while punching him in the face repeatedly with the other. The man's sidekick tried to jump on Travis's back, but Nora stuck out her foot and tripped him. The sidekick fell face first into the concrete wall and knocked himself out cold.

Then Vadim finally had the good sense to stop the flight. "Woah, woah. Travis. Stop. They are done now. You are fine."

The shy radio DJ was panting like he had just ran a marathon. He surveyed the aftermath of his destruction and then began to chuckle nervously until he built it into a a full on laugh.

"Did you see that? I, I clobbered those guys. I did it! I stood up for myself."

Then Travis turned to Nora and gave her a hug, but then froze awkwardly as if someone had just flipped the switch back from confident Travis to awkward Travis.

"I — uh. I — I started a bar fight. This isn't good. And they're unconscious, but they could be dead. I — I need to go."

Travis fled out of the bar. Nora turned to Vadim who didn't look concerned that his hired thugs were lying unconscious on his bar floor.

"Thanks Nora. You did good deed today. Travis is already more confident. Now I start Phase 2 of plan, next."

"Dare I ask what Phase 2 is?" Nora replied skeptically.

"Yes. Phase 2 is called "Get Travis laid.""

Thankfully, Phase 2 of the plan simply involved Nora talking to one of the cleaning women that next day and not so subtly suggesting that she go to Travis and initiate sex.

Of course, the woman wouldn't commit to the deed if Travis wasn't interested. So Nora went to Travis's small trailer and prepared to have the most awkward conversation in her lifetime.

"Hello? Who is it?" A timid voice called from behind the trailer door.

"It's Nora." She replied, "The woman from last night at the bar. I wanted to talk to you"

She heard the door unlock but didn't receive an invitation inside, so she decided to let herself in instead.

Inside the trailer was radio equipment covering nearly every inch of the perimeter. On her right, sat a small twin bed with tousled sheets. On her left sat Travis. He was sporting a pretty serious fat lip, but other than that he looked good.

"How are you feeling?" She asked. There was no where else to sit other than on Travis's bed, so she sat on the very edge and tried not to think about how long it had been since he had washed his sheets.

"My lip hurts, but other than that I think I'm fine." Nora was happy to notice that his stutter was mostly gone. But she didn't know if it was because he felt more comfortable talking while being in the comfort of his home, or if he did indeed gain some confidence from the mock bar fight.

"That's good. Say, I'm here because I wanted to know what you thought of Scarlet."

Nora might as well cut right to the chase.

"Sc-scarlet?" Uh oh. The stutter was back. "Sh—She's nice. Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering if you thought about her in more than just a friendly way." Nora replied. Travis's blush answered the question for her. "Because, she asked me to come here. She wants to know if you want to …"

How could she put this lightly and in a way that didn't make Scarlet look like a hussy. "… go steady with her?"

God, what was this an after school special? Nora admonished herself.

"You mean, like be my girlfriend?" He replied with a squeak.

"Yes." Nora replied tentatively. "But she also wants to know if you want to do more…"

"…more? Like what, more?"

Nora sighed, "Travis, she wants to have sex with you. Do you want to have sex with her, too?"

Blunt and to the point. That's more of her style anyways.

Travis's face turned an even deeper shade of red before asking an important question, "Why do you e—even care any ways? Why is this your business? A—Are you a p—pimp?"

Nora rolled her eyes at the ridiculous accusation, "Travis, I'm here because Scarlet asked me to be. She wants to pursue you, but she is nervous and scared, much like yourself. She's a nice girl and she obviously has strong feelings for you. If you care for her too, I'm sure you two will be great together."

"I — I doubt that." He replied. "What If I don't please her."

Oh. My. God. Nora thought. Please let this conversation end quickly.

"Just listen to what she wants and follow directions. Most women know what makes them feel good. And if she doesn't talk, then just do what comes naturally."

Travis cleared his throat awkwardly. "S—sex doesn't come — heh — naturally to me. Like … ever."

"You're a virgin?" Nora translated. Goddammit, please kill me now God. She thought.

Travis nodded.

"Look, Travis." Nora reasoned, "Your first time might be awkward, but that is what makes it special. Plus, Scarlet may your inexperience a turn on."

"Really?"

"Oh sure. A lot of women like to teach and instruct their partners." Nora's face blushed as she thought back to her and Nate and the orders that she gave him which he dutifully followed while wearing his military fatigues.

"So, what do you say?" Nora continued, "Are you interested in Scarlet?"

"Yeah…" Travis replied timidly, "But what if she doesn't like me"

More whining again.

"Travis, man. You just need to have a little confidence." Nora replied, as she opened the door to Diamond City. "You handled that bar flight like a man, now handle Scarlet like …"

The analogy died on her lips and Nora fled out of the trailer. But before she could shut the door, Travis stopped her.

"Uh, thanks." He replied, "Wait, why ar—are you trying to get me to be with Scarlet? I thought you were hitting on me last night. I mean, you're not really my type — not that I know what my type is — but you're nice an—and pretty an—"

"Goodnight Travis." Nora responded quickly. "I'll tell Scarlet the good news.'

Thank God "Phase 2" of Vadim's crazy plan was done. Nora thought.

However, when morning broke over Diamond City, Nora regretted getting involved with Vadim and his hair-brained plans at all.

Nora woke up to pounding at her door. Her Pipboy read 6:45am and she was ready to slug whoever had woken her up this early in the morning. She threw on her armored Vault Suit while yelling, "Stop knocking, I'm getting there. Sheesh!"

Yet, when she opened the door and saw Yefim's fearful face on the other side, Nora knew that something bad had happened.

"Nora. Sorry to disturb you. Vadim has been kidnapped. He is gone."

"Wait, what?" What is the Institute? Nora thought in a panic. Was Vadim going to waltz through the doors one day as a fake copy of himself until he goes insane and starts attacking others?

"Yes, those … thugs he hired are upset that Vadim not pay them. You need to help, please!"

"Do you have any leads to go on?"

"Their boss is Tower Tom. He lives at the brewery to the North of here. He will not kill Vadim right away. He will send for ransom first." Yefim replied.

Nora nodded and backed up some medical supplies, ammo, and holstered her pistol. "This is all my fault Yefim. If I never went along with your brother's hair-brained plans to help Travis, then he would've never gotten into this mess."

"My brother's reckless. He finds trouble without you." Yefim reassured, "Talk to Travis before you go. Another pair of eyes is good, yes?"

Nora was skeptical. If Travis could barely stick up to those goons in the bar, could he really handle a search and rescue mission in a brewery full of thugs? However, having a person watch her back could be helpful.

"Okay, I'll go talk to him." She agreed. "And don't worry, Yefim. I will help get your brother back.

Nora left The Dugout Inn and walked toward's Travis's small hovel. The early morning air was cool and the ground was damp after last night's rain. Nobody was stirring and the town was peaceful and quiet.

Yet, the noises that she heard upon getting to Travis's trailer told her that not everyone was sleeping this morning.

The telltale squeaking of a spring mattress and the thumping of a metal frame shook the tiny aluminum trailer.

"Oh, Travis." She heard a breathy giggle say.

More huffing and panting sounds could be heard and then Travis let out a loud groan.

Nora stood rooted to the spot. Her face was beet red. She told herself to just leave; she could find Vadim on her own. But she knew that Travis could be a useful ally, and she didn't feel up to taking on all of these thugs on her own. Hell, Nora couldn't even handle two of them when she arrived in Diamond City.

She cleared her throat and nocked on the aluminum door. "Travis. It's Nora. I need to talk to you."

"Um—uh. This is sort of a bad time, here." Travis shyly replied.

"I know…and I'm sorry to have disturbed you." Nora replied. "Vadim has been kidnapped by those two guys you fought last night. Yefim said something about Vadim owing them money. I need your help to go rescue him."

"That's not funny."

"I'm completely serious here, Travis. I really need your help." Nora pleaded.

Scarlet's high trill broke the silence, "Oh Travis! How brave. You're going on a rescue mission to save Vadim."

Nora could almost hear Scarlet swoon in lust and admiration. Travis, however, didn't seem so convinced.

"Yeah. Okay. I'll be right out."

"I'll wait outside The Dugout Inn." Nora replied. "Come find me when you're ready."

Nora let Travis clean himself up and get dressed. The last thing that she wanted to see or hear was a one final round of good-bye sex or hearing Scarlet professing her love to her knight in shining armor.

Thankfully, Travis didn't take long to get ready. He found her sitting outside The Dugout Inn. His hair was still tousled and matted from his all night sex marathon with Scarlet, but he looked content.

"Do you have a weapon?" Nora asked, secretly hoping he wouldn't lace his response with the innuendo that she left for him.

Travis giggled quietly and smirked. He showed her the small pipe revolver on his hip. It didn't look sophisticated or like it had too much stopping power, but at least he wasn't walking into this unarmed.

Nora and Travis had barely stepped out of Diamond City before they encountered trouble. The Diamond City guards were away from their post, but gunshots that were heard down the street hinted to where they had gone.

The duo turned right by the large rusted green baseball statue and followed the empty street to an intersection.

"PUNY HUMAN WILL DIE!" A voice roared amidst the gunshots. The voice was close; the primal anger that the voice held was terrifying.

Travis paled and grabbed Nora's arm and pulled her to the ground. "W-what are you doing? T-those are Super Mutants!"

"What are Super Mutants?" Nora asked and then regretted it. She was getting sick of people looking at her like she had grown two heads.

"You can't be serious" Travis scoffed, "You know, Super Mutants: green, ugly, and want to eat humans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

She shrugged and shook her head. "I've never seen one before, but I'll take your word that they're bad news. Do you have a detour in mind?"

"No!" He exclaimed. "D-Dammit, I've never been out of Diamond City until now. I'm out of my element here! I should just go back. You can handle it from here."

Travis turned around to leave but Nora grabbed his arm. "C'mon Travis. I need you. I can't do this alone. Plus, do you really want to go back to Scarlet as a coward? Or do you want to go back to her as a hero?"

Nora heard her words and cursed them. She was no better than the other people who asked the same thing of her. She turned Preston Garvey's offer of heroism down, why wouldn't Travis do the same?

Yet, Travis just glowered. He didn't like it but he felt himself become swayed anyway. "Fine … but I'm running if you get killed."

"That's a comforting thought." Nora replied sarcastically, "Here, lets go this way."

Nora led Travis away from the shooting and snuck down an empty alleyway. The coast was clear of enemies, but Nora noticed the burn marks and empty bullet casings; the conflict was fresh which put Nora on her guard.

Thankfully, the duo made it to the water's edge and the cobblestone embankment without encountering any trouble. They skirted the Old Corner Bookstore and passed the broken machine gun turret that caused Nora and Codsworth trouble when they arrived in town nearly a week ago.

In fact, the trip to the Beantown Brewery was deceptively easy. The duo encountered a small pack of mutated dogs, but they were easily taken care of with clean shots to the body.

Nora beamed in pride when she sniped the last dog; it didn't even get up or become agitated at their presence. Travis, however, looked at her like she was an ax murderer.

"He wasn't hurting you." He whined.

"Yeah. That's because I killed him." Nora replied sardonically.

However, once they arrived at the brewery Travis finally broke.

"I — I can't go in there. I can't kill anyone. I'm not a mercenary like you. You're good at this. I—I'm just a radio disc jockey."

"Travis, look at me." Nora ordered.

His watery blue eyes met hers hesitantly.

"Travis, I know you're scared but you need to find that small part of you that is trying to survive. You were born in this time. You've seen more dangers in your life than I have in the first month or so of mine. Find your courage. Vadim needs us."

"I cant." He whimpered. "I'm scared I'll die."

Nora couldn't fault him for that. Death was certainly a real expectation when living in this new apocalyptic world. "I know Travis. I'm scared that I'll die too. Every time I make some dumb decision to risk my life for someone else, I worry that I may not make it to find my son. That I'll die in the process and he will live on without knowing who his mother was. But, I still keep fighting because not fighting means that I've surely lost him forever. Sometimes what you want out of life needs to be worth the risk to it."

Travis pondered her words. "Alright, look. I don't have many friends. I feel partially responsible for Vadim being kidnapped so I guess we have to go in there and show them we mean business, right?"

"Right." Nora replied.

"Alright." Travis agreed. "Let's do this!" He didn't sound confident at all, but Nora admired the man's courage in the face of tremendous odds.

"Let's go!" She opened the front door prepared herself for another battle.


	6. Confidence Woman

**A.N. This chapter follows closely with the quest "Unlucky Valentine." Enjoy. Reviews are appreciated!**

Chapter 6

Nora and Travis stepped into the entrance hall of the brewery. The reception desk was covered in empty and broken beer bottles. The sickeningly sweet smell of rotting hops and stale beer assaulted their noses.

"Oh man," Nora coughed, "This place smells like Yefim's bar rag at the end of the night."

"So … do we … like, kill them all? Or can we sneak past them?" Travis's tried to sound brave, but his voice faltered in spite of him.

Nora crossed through the empty room and then peaked around the corner into the main brewery. There was a staircase to her right which (she assumed) lead up to the metal catwalks. She could see three men stationed near a locked office, one of their men — their leader — was huge and wore thick combat armor. The other two men patrolled the metal catwalks above. If she could silently kill the two men on patrol, they just might have a chance to take the other three by surprise.

"I don't think we have a choice. We can try to sneak by, but we will need to fight if they make us."

Nora unholstered her pistol, and Travis reluctantly did the same. She took the lead and crept up the stairwell. Empty beer bottles were perched innocuously on the steps. They both made it to the top of the landing before Travis accidentally knocked one over. The small misstep created a cacophony of sound. The sound of beer bottles clattering and breaking broke the silence. Their cover was blown.

"Hide." She hissed. They both took cover on either side of the doorway which lead out into the main brewery.

"Huh? Who's there?" A raider asked and unholstered his pipe pistol. Nora could hear one of the farther ones mutter something about "damn rats."

The figure walked into the room and Nora held her breath in anticipation. Before he could turn around, Nora took aim and fired a shot into his head. The compressor that Arturo taught her how to equip stifled most of the sound, however the next raider was now on guard.

"Shit, I heard it too now. Gomez? Is there anything over there?" He shouted. Nora had to act fast. It was now or never. Their friend wasn't coming back and soon they would all get suspicious.

"Gomez?"

Nora peaked around the corner and aimed at the raider coming her way. With another muffled shot, she took him down, and his gun skidded across the metal catwalk.

"We're being attacked!" One of the boss's guards yelled and sprinted across the catwalk to take cover on the other side of the room. The man in combat armor took a shot at her which exploded the concrete next to her shoulder. She ducked back into cover and pulled a baseball from her bag.

"Nora, what are you doing?" Travis hissed, hugging his gun as if it was a teddy bear.

"I made this with Arturo. I figured that this would be a good time as any to try it out. Cover me!"

Nora pulled the metal pin from the top of the baseball and saw the raider boss with his one loyal henchman. She lobbed the baseball in a high arch and watched in slow motion as it landed on the metal grate, bounced once, and then rolled underneath the man's legs.

As soon as he figured out what the object was, it was too late. Nora was blasted off her feet but heard the satisfying cry of men caught in the explosion. But before she could celebrate, she was picked up by the scruff of her Vault uniform, and was slammed face first into the concrete wall.

She heard a sickening sound of her nose breaking; blood flowed freely and it nearly choked her.

"You fuckin' bitch!" The hard metal barrel of his gun burned her skin. "You're dead!"

Nora braced herself for the shot. She was happy that the death would be quick, at least. But when the gunshot rang out, she felt no pain. The man's grip on her loosened and then he fell off of her to the ground. Travis's smoking gun was still aimed at her. He was in shock. Nora staggered to him and set his gun down.

"Travis … look at me."

"He w-was going to kill you!" He squeaked out. "I - I had to kill him."

"Yes," Nora replied gently as if she was talking to a child. "He would've killed me if you hadn't. You saved me."

"I — I guess I did." Travis replied in disbelief. Nora clapped him on the back and then pulled him along. "C'mon, we need to find Vadim now that those raiders are taken care of."

The duo skirted across the rickety catwalks approached the locked door. Her grenade had turned the largest guy into a gory, red collection of entrails and dismembered body parts. His other compatriot didn't fare any better; them and their weapons were blown to bits. Yet, Nora still searched the man's combat armor and found a small silver key that he wore around his neck. She pulled it off of him and used the key to unlock the office door.

Inside, Vadim sat against the wall. His hands were bounded and he had a dirty rag tied around his mouth like a gag. Travis immediately went to untie him while Nora searched the small office for supplies and valuable loot.

"Oh, thank you. Thank you! Vadim is pleased you came to save me." He replied once Travis helped him to his feet. "And YOU." — He grabbed Travis into a tight hug "You are last person I would think to save me."

"Well, if it wasn't for Nora I would've never came." He replied.

"Come, yes? We celebrate at bar. Drinks are free." Vadim cried and went to Nora to usher them both to the elevator in the back room.

"You go on, Travis. Vadim" She replied. "I have somewhere else that I need to be."

Nora realized that she had put off her quest for too long. She needed to go to Park Street Station to find Detective Valentine.

"You're not coming to celebrate?" Travis asked sadly. "But if it wasn't for you, I'd still be back in my trailer making dumb sex puns over the radio. I — I want you to come. I think you're my first friend that I've ever had."

"I'm sorry, Travis." She replied. He was sweet, but she couldn't put this off anymore. "I'll need to take a raincheck. You found your courage, and now I have to go find mine so I can find my son."

"Safe travels, Nora." Vadim replied. He kissed her forehead with gratitude. "You are always welcome. I owe you so much!"

Nora followed the men out of the building, but walked in a different direction which took her past the old CIT ruins before crossing the Tucker Memorial Bridge. Her Pipboy was telling her that Park Street Station was located near the Boston Commons. That had to be her next stop.

* * *

Two hours later, Nora found herself in Park Street Station was engaged in the toughest and scariest fight Nora had been in thus far. She hid behind the ticket counter as Skinny Malone's goons searched for her, she realized just how out of her element that she was. Plus, she was alone.

Nevertheless, even armed with only a modified 10mm and a double-barrel shotgun which was running low on ammo, Nora had managed to fight her way to the last set of stairs that went to the subway platform.

"Ah, shit man." One of the goons called up the stairs. "They must've ran off. Get your ass down here and sit guard next to the Vault. Skinny's gonna be pissed if someone sneaks up on us through that escape hatch.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming." The ghoul in the top hat grumbled. If Nora wasn't scared out of her mind, she would've thought it amusing that these henchmen were all dressed in gagster-era clothing and using tommyguns.

Nora waited a good half an hour until she dared to move again. She needed to come up with a plan, and so far, the only plan she had in her mind was incredibly dangerous.

There was a yellow box that had the word "Explosives" painted across it in big letters. Thankfully Nora had found a crowbar. Although it took a little effort, Nora managed to pry the lock off the box. Inside was what Nora needed to put this plan in motion.

Nora took three frag mines and snuck down the stairs to where the Triggermen had all mobilized. Her Pipboy read 11:45pm and all but two of them were asleep in sleeping bags on the far side of the station.

She tossed a frag mine about ten feet away from the first step. It landed with a soft plop in the dirt. Then she backtracked and placed another frag mine at the landing of the first set of stairs. She sidestepped around the scale which was rigged to detonate a bouquet of grenades, and then placed the last mine at the top of the second landing.

This plan had to work, and Nora would only get one chance.

She ducked back behind the ticket counter and pulled out her gun and fired two rounds into the concrete wall. _That should get their attention, she thought._

 _"_ What the fuck was that?" A ghoul's voice cried out. He sounded so far away, but Nora knew that him and his gang could be on her in seconds.

There was a pregnant silence. Nora wondered if she hid the mines well enough, or if she had even armed them right to explode. But then the sound of fast beeping hit her ears and then she heard the first explosion.

The ghoul cried out in pain and Nora heard a soft thud hit the ground. She hoped that he was at least dead or incapacitated. But now that one had fallen, she knew the others would be far more cautious about other traps.

"Come and get me you cowards." She yelled out into the night. Her voice reverberated off the metal and concrete hallways and she knew they could hear her.

"You are DEAD. You hear me? DEAD" one of them roared before he charged headstrong up the stairs and into the second frag mine.

Nora knew that he died when it exploded because the man let loose a sickening, bloody gurgle before he hit the ground.

With one last mine sitting at the top of the stairwell, and their trap sitting undetonated at the bottom of the first landing, Nora prayed that she would get lucky and not have to actually discharge her weapon.

"Yeh, think she's gone?" A voice asked. He was much closer than Nora was now comfortable with.

"No. She planted these traps while we was sleepin' Go on up the stairs, I'll follow you. Watch out for the scale on the landin.'"

"Right, boss." The man replied.

Nora tentatively peeked her head over the countertop. The final mine was tucked around the corner. Thankfully, the ghoul wouldn't be able to see it.

As he sidestepped the bathroom scale trap and ascended the stairs, the mine beeped frantically and threw bits of rock and concrete all over the room when it exploded.

"Shit! Fuck! No!" The other ghoul cursed as his partner hit the ground dead. "You bitch, I'm gonna kill you!"

Nora knew that she had to act now. She had two more slugs in her shotgun and she had to make them count. As the smoke was clearing, Nora saw the imposing figure of her enemy round the corner. However, Nora didn't have to pull the trigger.

The sound of springs being compressed and then a quick whipping sound cut through the air. The final ghoul didn't even make it up the final set of stairs before the entire stairwell was engulfed in a powerful explosion.

The shockwave knocked Nora off her feet. Her ears rang painfully and her temple throbbed in pain. What had caused the explosion? Her three mines had already detonated.

When the smoke of the battle cleared, Nora brushed the grey ash and dirt off her Armored Vault Suit and cautiously defended the stairs.

On the bottom of the first landing, Nora saw that the rigged bathroom scale was now broken and charred. The remains of Nora's kill and the idiotic ghoul who tripped his own trap littered the floor like macabre carpeting. Taking care to not slip on all of the blood and dismembered body parts, Nora finally made it to the subway platform and snuck along the abandoned and caved in train tracks.

The remainder of her trip was, thankfully, uneventful. There was one ghoul who was sleeping at the bottom of a metal ramp that led to an excavation site, but Nora let him sleep and continued into the final room.

The chamber looked like it had been freshly dug out. Large bulldozers and other equipment sat off to the sides. Orange cones and yellow tape roped off areas that were unfinished. Yet, there sat the large metal door of Vault 114 as the final barrier in Nora's hunt for her detective.

She walked up to the door console and unplugged the power cable on her Pipboy and plugged the large input into the front of the console and then pulled the lever.

The large hydraulic handle swung down and grabbed the door. Sirens blared and lights flashed obnoxiously. Any hopes of sneaking into the Vault were now dashed. Nora figured that now everyone would know that she was here. She holstered her shotgun in her back holster and pulled out her 10mm. She expected a fight as the bright artificial lights from the Vault spilled out into the construction area.

"Let's do this." She muttered and stepped into the Vault.

* * *

By some amount of dumb luck, Nora managed to easily get the drop on the rest of the Triggermen without causing too much of a disturbance. She had thought that the Vault's obnoxious entrance alarms would keep everyone in the Vault on high alert. However, most of them assumed that she was one of their own men coming back from reconnaissance or from doing work for Skinny Malone. She didn't let them think differently and managed to sneak past more of them than she had to kill.

Eventually, Nora made it to what looked like a cafeteria and common area. The area was open and spanned roughly three stories. The place reminded her a fancy hotel lobby, especially the ones that had hallways which overlooked the foyer.

"You don' alright there Valentine?" A man in a black greaser jacket asked, "Can I get you anything? Food, water, motor oil?"

The man was taunting his captor and he must've recieved a insult in return because then the man replied, "Screw you, you fuckin' robot. I can't wait to get in there and kill you myself."

Nora snuck up the first flight of stairs and then crossed the walkway before taking out her gun. The man made his way to the terminal and began typing in a code. Nora reacted and fired two shots into the man. One hit his arm, but the other hit true into his chest.

He died before he hit the ground. The gunshots certainly got the prisoner's attention and he had his gun drawn at the door.

"Hey you! I don't know who you are, but we've got three minutes before they realize that muscle-for-brains isn't coming back. Get this door open!" Although muffled behind a door, Nora let the bravado and confidence in his voice was over her like a cool drink.

Nora walked over to the password terminal and managed to guess the password based on the partial word that the man had typed out before he died.

The hydraulic door opened and she walked into a small office with a large circular desk which had an overturned name tag that read "Overseer."

She didn't know what to expect when she met Nick Valentine. The clothes certainly fit her idea of a detective. He wore a tattered and faded brown overcoat, a white dress shirt with a loosely done tie, and dirt-stained dress pants. However, the rest of Nick Valentine's appearance was very unconventional.

Nora watched as the mechanical man in the detective getup pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, lit it, and inhaled the smoke into his lungs. His artificial yellow eyes appraised her and the corners of his mouth were tugged up in amusement. One intact hand fingered nervously at his weapon's holster while the other bare metal hand held the smoking cigarette.

He smirked. "Look, as much as I enjoy this reverse damsel-in-distress scenario and as much as I appreciate you springing me from this jail, why did you come all this way to help some stranger?"

The man's voice was smooth and confident. He reminded Nora of the defense attorneys in Boston whose bravado and charisma could get nearly anyone an innocent verdict.

Nora swallowed thickly. Was it nerves? She's met her fair share of detectives before when she was studying at Harvard. Why did she now seem incapable at stringing two sentences together? "Um, Ellie sent me."

"Huh, I guess I need to give her a raise." the man replied thoughtfully. "Well thank you again. I don't usually work with mercenary types, but since you helped spring me from this jail. I figured that we could team up temporarily. First we need to get out of here before I start developing claustrophobia. The name is Nick, by the way. Nick Valentine, Diamond City's greatest detective, or so they say."

The hair on the back of her neck prickled. Nora wasn't a mercenary. She didn't go on this dangerous mission for fame and glory. All she wanted to do was find her son, and now this detective had read her all wrong.

Nora cocked her head defiantly, "If you're Diamond City's greatest detective, then how did you end up kidnapped."

Nick's mechanical yellow eyes widened in shock. The dame was brazen, he'd give her that. "I — uh. Well, you cut me to the quick here, doll. I hate to admit it, but I was jumped. My attacker caught me unawares, see. It was hardly a fair fight. So if you are done bustin' my chops, do you wanna get out of here?"

Nick led the way, but as he made his way towards the open door, he noticed that Nora hadn't taken her eyes from him. "You coming, doll?"

"This is a rude question. What are you?"

"You're just full of 'em tonight, aren't you." Nick replied flatly. "I'm a detective despite you not seeming convinced."

"No, I know that." Nora replied impatiently. "But I've never seen anyone like you before. Are you a … ghoul?"

Nick sighed. "Look, now's not the time nor the place to start getting into my history. All you need to know about me is that I'm a synth _not_ a ghoul. I know the mechanical parts are a little disconcerting, but I promise you that I'm human enough."

A thousand questions swirled around in Nora's mind, but she decided to bite her tongue and simply nodded. "Okay, fair enough. Lead on then."

Nick led Nora through the remainder of the Vault quickly and quietly. He proved to be an adept fighter and was far more proficient with a gun than Nora was. The Triggermen died before they knew what had hit them and a few didn't even get a chance to discharge their weapons before Nick's Pipe Revolver delivered the killing blow.

"Hold up. Skinny Malone is up ahead. Let's just say that, between you and me, his name is ironic. You let me do all the talking, okay? You've got some sass which could get us into hot water. But if things go sideways, we may need to fight our way out so be ready to shoot to kill." Nick didn't wait for Nora to agree, he rose up from a crouch and walked into the entrance chamber.

The man that Nick was referring too was portly and his greasy hair was combed back. Nora tentatively stepped into the room with Nick, but kept her finger close to the trigger of her modified 10mm.

"Nick, what are ya doing? You come into my house, and shoot up my guys. You have any idea how much this is gonna set me back?" The man's voice sounded like a train horn. There was no variance in tone or pitch, it was just loud and offensive.

"I wouldn't be here if it weren't for your two-timing dame, Skinny." Nick's insult was smooth. If he was scared or anxious about being held at gunpoint by three large gagsters, he didn't let on.

"Aw…poor little Valentine. Ashamed you got beat up by a girl? You think I'll just run back home to daddy, sugar?" The woman's voice was was grating and harsh. Plus, her thick accent removed any class that she might have had if she had kept her mouth shut.

Nora was quickly putting the pieces of this case together. Nick must have been looking for Malone's girlfriend because her father was concerned that she was mixed in with the wrong crowd.

"You should've left it alone, Nicky." Skinny warned. "This ain't the old neighborhood anymore. In this Vault, I'm king of the castle! And I ain't letting some private dick shut us down now that I finally got a good thing going."

"I TOLD YOU that we should've just killed him!" The woman cried shrilly, "But then you had to get all sentimental about this stupid crap from the "old times.'"

"Darla, I'm handling this! Skinny Malone has always got things under control."

"Oh yeah, then whats this lady doing here, huh?" Darla nodded towards Nora's direction. "Valentine must have brought her here to rub us all out!"

Nora felt on edge. Adrenaline was coursing through her body and she suddenly found herself back in the judge's chambers as she cross examined the defendant who was on trial for murder. It had been her first trial and she was just the intern, but her bosses decided that the best kind of experience couldn't be learned from old legal cases, they had to be experienced in the courtroom. She was just as anxious then as she was now. Nevertheless, the words came to her and she jumped into the conversation.

"Darla, listen to me. I'm not here to kill any of you. Your dad misses you and he's concerned about you. You have a home to go back to. You don't want to throw your life away with these thugs."

Darla looked as though she had been hit in the face with the baseball bat that she was holding. She was a smart girl, but Nora could see a woman who thought she was too deep into trouble to successfully back out now. Thankfully, Darla saw reason.

"I — I — You're right. What am I doing? I've gotten all mixed up."

"Darla! Where are you going?" Skinny cried.

"Home, Skinny. Where I should've been all this time. My father was right about you's. I thought I could escape my problems with you, but I just got more of 'em now. This is goodbye for us." Darla walked out of the Vault, took her bloodied steel bat with her and disappeared.

Nora would've felt ecstatic if she didn't notice that Skinny's guards began to take aim at both of them with their combat rifles.

"Aw c'mon Nicky. First you cost me my men and now you and your friend just cost me my girl!

"My friend here just did you a favor Skinny. You always did have bad taste in women. Now that she's not around to feed that temper of yours, maybe you'll see sense and let us walk. You still owe me for these two weeks in the hole. If you let us go, consider that debt that you owe me paid in full." Nick's yellow eyes glinted dangerously. His weapon was still drawn in case Skinny made the wrong choice. Thankfully, whatever kind of man Skinny was, he was a man who paid his debts.

"You smug, overconfident ass. ALRIGHT. You get 'til the count of ten. If I still see your face after that, I'm gunning both of you down."

"We better get outta here … and fast." Nick whispered to her.

True to his word, Skinny Malone started counting and his body guards both trained their weapons on Nick and Nora.

"After you." Nora replied and sprinted after Nick. Their footsteps echoed off the concrete as they ran through the empty subway system. When they reached the utility ladder, Nick went up first and pushed the heavy metal manhole cover out of the way.

"The coast is clear." He yelled down. "You can come up."

Nora ascended the ladder and took Nick's offered hand as he helped her out of the manhole. His synthetic skin felt warm and felt similar to human skin.

"Thanks." She replied, holstering her 10mm pistol. "Look, I know you said to leave the talking up to you, but I couldn't help but interject. Darla didn't seem like she was completely committed to Skinny. I thought that I could persuade her to see reason before things got too out of hand."

Nick's expression was unreadable and Nora realized that he had a hell of a poker face. "So…I'm sorry." She offered. "I'm also sorry for busting your chops about being kidnapped. I'm beginning to realize that the Commonwealth will chew up and spit out anyone regardless of who they are."

Nick let out a bark-like laugh. "Sorry? Doll, I don't know who you are or where you came from, but you are one silver-tongued devil. You kept your cool and analyzed the situation without instigating any unneeded violence or bloodshed. Color me impressed. You'd make a hell of a detective."

"Well, I was training to become a lawyer so I've had some experience arguing under pressure. I've just never had to argue a case at gunpoint while imprisoned in a subterranean Vault. Harvard Law did not prepare me for that one."

"A lawyer, huh? That's fascinating. Although, I'm not sure how common lawyers are these days since our kind of justice is more trial-by-the-gun now."

"So, how much did Ellie pay you? I'd be willing to double it on account of getting me out of there in one piece."

"I'm not a mercenary, and I don't want your money." Nora replied bitterly, "Honestly, why do all you people jump to 'hired gun' or 'God-like philanthropist' whenever people try to do good deeds?."

Nick blinked a few times as he tried to figure out where he went wrong in his assessments of this woman. "No offense, doll. But look around you. To do something as selfless as rescuing an ol' synth detective from a Vault full of armed gagsters must mean that you're either expecting to get paid or your some god dammed angel."

"I'm not either." Nora replied. "I rescued you because you're the only one who can help me. My son Shaun has been kidnapped. Can you help me?"

Nick's face softened at the request. He had spent the last twenty years or so finding missing people, and the cases that hit his heart the most were always the ones that involved children.

"Yes, of course I will. But, as much as I'd love to sit down and get into the gritty details of your case, I would rather not do so in the middle of the Boston ruins. Ya wanna accompany me back to Diamond City? You can get cleaned up, get some rest, and then you can swing by my place in the morning to start working on the details of the case."

"So that means you'll take my case?" Nora replied. "I don't have a lot of information to go on. It may be a waste of your time."

"Don't worry. I'll be the judge of that. Say, I never caught your name by the way."

"The name is Nora." She replied.

"Ya got a last name, Nora?"

"No, it's just Nora." She replied trying to mask the sadness in her voice. Without Nate, Nora didn't feel right in giving out his last name, and yet Nora couldn't go back to her maiden name either.

"Well, Nora. Pleased to meet you." Nick replied and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm in your debt and I'll do anything to help you find your son."

As Nick and Nora walked back to Diamond City, she was secretly glad that the moonless sky made it too dark for Nick to notice that she had been blushing ever since he helped pull her out of the sewer. It had been almost five months since she had crawled out of her frozen coffin. Almost five months since she had been able to feel anything besides apathy, misery, and pain. Codsworth had once told her to not lose hope; Nick agreeing to take her case ignited that hope into a small burning passion to find Shaun. With Nick's help, they would scour the Commonwealth to find any evidence of her son's existence.

As she walked back to Diamond City with the synth detective, Nora felt happy and almost content. Nick didn't realize what taking her case actually meant to her. Nick had made Nora happy, and that is what she needed most right now.


	7. Late Night Noir

This chapter was delayed longer than I anticipated. I couldn't quite get the slow burn right between Nora and Nick. I wanted to go from 0 - 100 right away, but I also want to have Nora conflicted about still mourning the loss of Nate while also realizing that it's okay to love someone else too.

This chapter is more focused on the slow burn between the two. Therefore, the plot follows the standard interogation/questioning part of the quest. While I paraphrase most of the discussions, there won't be a lot of new information in this chapter. It's pretty much setting up things for later.

I hope you enjoy. Reviews are appreciated!

* * *

Chapter 7

It was late afternoon before Nora woke up. She was having a nightmare, she had the same one nearly every night, and in this one she felt the heavy door of the Cryo Pod swing down and trap her to the bed. Frigid air swirled around her body; she watched helplessly as her husband pounded on his cryopod window and mouthed the words "help me" as Shaun cried in his arms.

"Ah, Nora?" A muffled voice sounded through the door. "I am sorry. I need to clean room for other guests, yes?"

The voice thankfully broke through the nightmare, and Nora was shaken back into reality.

"Dammit. Shit. Yefim, I'm sorry. I got in late and I didn't realize how tired I was." Nora threw on a simple t-shirt and jeans and stuffed her vault suit, ammo, and supplies into her military rucksack.

She wrenched the door open and nearly collided into Yefim, his mop bucket, and laundered blankets.

"Sorry, Yefim. You can add another ten caps to my bill for overstaying my welcome. I plan to square up with you later tonight, anyways."

"No. No. There is no price for kindness. You saved my brother from his stupidity. I am forever in your debt. There are snack cakes for you on the counter. They are a little stale, but they are good. Eat before you go, yes. Free of charge."

"Thanks, Yefim." Nora waved goodbye before she walked into the ruined lobby. Vadim was leaning over the bar holding his head in his hands nursing a pretty wicked hangover.

After Travis and Nora rescued him from Beantown Brewery, he decided to celebrate by taste testing a new batch of his famous moonshine. Two bottles later and Vadim ended the night dancing with Scarlet on the bar. Although Nora was long passed out by then, she heard that they managed a pretty mediocre waltz.

"Ah, Nora!" Vadim cried as he noticed that she was trying to sneak away. "I have a job you would be good for. You will be a rich lady if you stick with Vadim."

"No thanks, Vadim. I think saving your ass from certain death is enough adventuring for this month."

Vadim laughed but winced as the merriment did nothing to quell his pounding headache, "Yes, you are right. Be safe out there, Nora."

She waved farewell and entered into the bright afternoon sunlight. Diamond City was humming and busy as Nora walked down the alleyway and stepped into the marketplace.

When she walked into Diamond City early that morning with Nick, the glittering floodlights and the cloudless night made the empty marketplace twinkle.

"It ain't much, but these people have been good to me." Nick remarked. "Even learned to look past the ugly bits of myself. They gave me a job, let me start a business, and let make my living in whatever way an ol' synth can."

Nora could understand his gratefulness. If it wasn't for Arturo, Nat, and Piper, she and Codsworth would've never survived her first night here. Even in the short time of living in Diamond City, The Great Green Jewel of the Commonwealth was Nora's safe haven.

"Hey Blue! When am I going to get that exclusive interview from you?" Piper asked when she saw Nora walk past Publik Occurrences.

"Hey Piper." Nora smiled politely and walked on by. Nora's gratefulness evaporated like water in a radioactive desert. Piper had badgered her every day since she arrived to give an exclusive interview about her experience in Vault 111. Every day, Nora declined politely and then outright refused. Her past life was private, nor did she want the Diamond City citizens to look at her like some tragic case, or worse, as some superhuman wonder who survived the horrors of Vault Tec. No, Nora enjoyed hiding in her anonymity.

"You can't ignore me forever, Blue! I promise that it will be painless!" Then, as if inspiration had struck, Piper exclaimed "Hey, wait up!"

Nora slowed her pace and allowed the reporter to meet her by Power Noodles.

"So, you had a late night." It wasn't a question but an observation. "I heard you sauntered into town with our resident synth detective last night. D'you have any juicy information you want to spill?"

"Like what?" Nora scoffed but could feel her face grow warm in embarrassment. Why was she embarrassed, she wondered. She was asked to find the detective because he was offering a service that she needed. In fact she was only meeting Nick so he could help her look for Shaun. They had a professional relationship, nothing more.

Piper gave Nora a smile like a cheshire cat. She was too astute for her own good. Thankfully she let Nora keep her modesty. "I'm thinking of another headline. 'Kidnapped Synth Detective Begs the Question: Is Anybody Safe?'"

"Piper, Nick wasn't kidnapped by the Institute. He was jumped by a gangster named Skinny Malone and his girlfriend…well, ex-girlfriend."

"Oh." Piper seemed disappointed and slightly abashed, "Darn it. I was hoping to get a hard hitting lead for the front page to help boost sales."

Nora could see the opening that Piper presented her. If she would give Piper an interview about Vault 111, she was sure Diamond City residents would eat it up. It was even more of a reason to not do it.

"Sorry, Piper. I'm just not ready to talk about my experiences in the Vault yet. It's still painful."

"Yet, you're going to tell Nicky."

Nora frowned at the casual way she addressed the detective. Then, as though she read her mind, Piper replied, "Oh, Nicky and I go way back. I know how he operates. I just don't know how he can persuade people to spill their inner secrets whereas I can barely get any of these folks to give me a straight quote for an opinion piece. I wonder if he uses synth mind control."

Nora gaped at her until Piper shot her a mischievous grin. "I'm kidding, Blue."

"Of course." She replied. She hated feeling foolish; normally she wasn't a gullible person, but her long nap put her at a severe disadvantage when it came to the dangers and terminology of the Commonwealth. "Hey, I have to go Piper. I'm gonna be late."

She waved goodbye to the reporter and took off down the alleyway at a fast walk. As she rounded the corner past the city's jail, Nora followed the bright red sign with the cupid's heart emblem down to Nick Valentine's office door. She grabbed the metal handle firmly and let herself step into the warm office.

Nick sat at an office desk near the back of the room. His head was wreathed with cigarette smoke as he poured over an old case file. Nora couldn't make out the writing on the file folder but she did notice that it held a paperclip picture of a man who looked remarkably similar to Nick's trench coat and fedora clad style.

"Oh, Nora!" Ellie exclaimed from the second desk that looked buried beneath boxes of papers. The brunette engulfed Nora into a tight hug. "Thank you so much for rescuing Nick. Now I know you that you didn't do this for money, but please take this." She thrusted a large container that had the words "CASH" written across the tin in black marker. "Nick and I are forever in your debt."

"Ellie, this isn't necessary. I can't accept this." Nora pleaded.

"Nonsense. You earned it. Consider it your first paid case as one of the Valentine Detective Agency's new detectives!"

"Ellie," Nick warned. His yellow eyes met Nora's and held a look of bemusement. He often had to temper Ellie's idealism. "I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself here. The woman is here first and foremost as my client." The synth snuffed out the spent cigarette butt in a nearby ashtray and rose from his desk.

"Oh, yes. You're right. I'm sorry. Here, Nora please have a seat." Ellie gestured to an empty yellow plush chair. She's all yours, Nick."

Nora flushed again at Ellie's comment. This time she admonished herself for acting like a immature teenager. Shaun was still missing, and she buried her husband a little less than a month ago. She needed to set her sights on finding her son.

Nick cleared his throat, thankfully oblivious to Nora's embarrassment, and made his way over to Ellie's desk. His tattered trench coat looked a little less dirty and his white button down shirt was ironed and pressed. Nora wondered if Ellie was simply Nick's secretary or if they shared a more domestic and comfortable relationship. Nora's face flushed red as she stuffed down her guilt and now her jealousy.

Nick pushed the boxes of paperwork to the side of the desk and took a seat in the available wooden chair. Ellie stood at his side with a pencil and a clipboard ready to dictate.

Nick pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a matchbook from his pocket and lit another cigarette, took a couple drags off it letting the smoke exhale out of his lungs and float to the ceiling before beginning. Nora felt a longing and an envy for a cigarette of her own. She quit smoking the day she found out she was pregnant, but quitting cold turkey didn't mean the cravings never surfaced.

"So, Nora. I have some questions to ask you about your son's disappearance. I need you to answer them honestly. Don't leave any detail out, no matter how small or irrelevant it may seem to you. Take your time and start from the beginning. Ellie will be taking notes as you talk so we don't forget anything."

Nick's voice was comforting. He left the ball in her court. This wasn't an interrogation, this was a informational discussion. She could reveal as much or as little information that she found necessary, and she was grateful to Nick for that.

"Well, I guess I'll start at the beginning." Nora said. Her meek and quiet voice was a stark contrast to her self assured bravado that she pulled out against Skinny Malone.

"I … uh. I lived in Sanctuary Hills. It was a little community north of Concord. My husband, Nate, (his name tasted like battery acid on her tongue) my son Shaun, and I were granted early access to Vault 111 because my husband served in the United States Army."

"Wait," Nick interjected, "United States? You're talking about Pre-War? Jesus!"

Ellie looked confused but kept scribbling notes on a legal pad. Nick, on the other hand, looked amazed.

Nora continued while trying to pretend that Nick's hypnotic yellow eyes were not appraising her like some museum curiosity.

"Um…so when the air raid sirens went off, my husband grabbed our baby and we ran to Vault 111. I watched the bomb detonate over Boston right before we were lowered into the Vault."

The panic and confusion echoed through her veins as though their memory had been burned there. Nate's hand grabbed hers as they both prepared themselves to meet the end while waiting for the elevator to descend. The memory was so vivid that she thought she felt Nate's warm, calloused hand on hers only to realize that Nick's pale synthetic hand was closed around hers. Nick had pulled the wooden chair so that he was now sitting directly in front of Nora. They were so close that their knees touched.

Nora closed her eyes. Perhaps this would be easier if she just blurted out the rest of the story quickly. Unfortunately, the interior of the Vault swam in front of her eyes as clear as the day they had arrived. Her voice was empty and almost void of emotion. She felt as numb and cold as she did when the cryo pod froze her.

"Despite the chaos outside, everyone inside the Vault was orderly and calm. They gave us these jumpsuits to put on and then guided us to a 'decontamination' chamber. They said we would get need to get decontaminated before we were allowed to go further into the Vault. I sensed that something was off, but did what I was told and got into the machine. My husband — the soldier, the one who was use to taking orders — protested and was threatened and then pushed into his pod with Shaun. I should've fought back against them. I should've taken Shaun so …"

Nora's voice died on her lips. She would give anything to go back in time and re-do that moment so that Nate would've lived instead.

"It's okay It's not your fault," Nick reassured her. His hands, both synthetic and metal, gently pulled her hands into his. He was overly careful with his metal hand, but the cool and rough texture of the joints felt strangely reassuring. "Vault Tec is infamous for their unethical social experiments. I've come across a couple Vaults myself, not counting the one that you saved me from. It's amazing that you escaped."

Nora opened her eyes; Nick held her gaze hypnotically and Nora couldn't help but wonder if Piper's joke about synth mind control held more truth than she knew because she somehow found the strength to continue on with her story.

"When they closed me in, I felt cold air surround me and I felt that I would never get warm again. I don't remember anything during the time that I was frozen. I didn't know how much time had passed until I made it out. I wasn't conscious to anything except the unbearable cold. The first thing that I remember was hearing the Vault alarm system go off and watched three people open open the pods. I couldn't open my door, but I watched as … "

Nora stopped. She hugged her arms around herself as she felt the cold sink through her t-shirt and jeans. She sat there and rocked herself for a moment until a warm hand gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"It's okay, doll. Take all the time you need."

"The — the people opened my husband's machine, and they took Shaun away from him. Shaun was crying and my husband fought them. Then one of them shot Nate in the head. I watched as his brain painted the seat red. Then the man came up to my machine. His cold eyes bore into mine and he sneered, "At least we have the spare'."

They must've reactivated the cryostasis because when my machine finally opened, my husband's body was already partially decomposed. Everyone else in the Vault's other cryostats machines were already dead. Besides a handful of mutated cockroaches, I was the only one left in the Vault. Everyone else had either died as part of the failed cryostats experiment or were the victims of a mutiny that happened while everyone was on ice."

Nick leaned back in his seat deep in thought.

"So three people break into a Vault to steal an infant child? That doesn't make sense. How did they know you were there? I never knew Vault 111 existed until now and I've done research on all of the Commonwealth vaults in Boston. Did these people have any distinguishing features. What did they sound like? Did they use names? What types of clothing were they wearing?"

"Um, two of them were wearing doctors scrubs, no wait, they were wearing blue hazmat suits. The third one, the man who killed my husband, had a bald head and a large scar across his eye. He wore camouflage clothes and a large armored chest plate, but none of his clothing was military issued."

Nick's eyes lit up at the mention of a scar. "Does the name Kellogg ring a bell to you?"

"No, not really."

"Kellogg came through here about five months or so with a young boy. They stayed for two weeks and then disappeared. Nobody has seen either of them since. Now, I'm not saying that Kellogg is our man for sure but if we assume that some time passed since your husband was murdered and when you were finally released from cryostats, then it could be more than just a coincidence that Kellogg had a six year old kid with him."

"He could have a son, Nick." Ellie interjected.

"No, it's not likely. His poisonous personality and questionable employment aside, he isn't fit for domestic life and he sure as hell wouldn't be the one to win the "Single Father of the Year" award." Nick replied, "Besides, I've been in this city for over fifty year now. I've watched most of its citizens grow up. Kellogg is a drifter. He isn't a man who would settle down with a family. I think we need to sleep on this one and reconvene tomorrow. We can check out his house here in Diamond City and see if there are any clues that he left behind."

Ellie put her notes into an empty file folder and placed it on Nick's desk. "Well, if you don't mind Nick, I'm going to head out. Nora, I'm sorry for all of your troubles. I can't imagine the pain you're feeling. Just hang in there. Nick will do anything he can to help."

"Thanks Ellie," Nora replied. The woman patted Nora's shoulders and grabbed a small purse from a nearby file cabinet. "Good night, you two."

Once Ellie had cleared out an uncomfortable silence settled over the two. Nick was the first to break it.

"Thank you for sharing all of this with me. I know that couldn't have been easy to relive all of that."

He placed a warm, pale hand over hers and gave it a gentle, comforting squeeze. "If you don't have anywhere else to be, how would you like to unwind with a drink. You probably need it after all of this."

"I'd like that very much, Nick." Nora replied. "Although, I'd rather not go to the Dugout Inn. I spend enough time there as it is. I'm afraid that if I go back, Vadim will try to sucker me into another one of his get rich quick schemes."

"Not a problem, doll. I have some nice aged bourbon that I've been saving for a rainy day.

Nick returned from the back room with two chipped ceramic coffee cups and a brown corked bottle. He uncorked the liquor and poured three fingers full into each of their mugs before setting the bottle on the desk between them.

"I'm sorry that I don't have anything better. It's pretty sacrilegious to drink such fine alcohol out of coffee mugs, but sometimes you got to make due." Nick grinned and toasted to her before taking a sip.

Although his body couldn't metabolize alcohol, he thankfully possessed rudimentary tastebuds and could indulge in the occasional drink or the more frequent cigarette. It was one of the small favors the Institute gave him, and he'd forever be grateful for that.

Nora took a sip as well and let the caramel liquor warm her up. "So Nick, how did you get ahold of such fine alcohol?" Even with her travels with Codsworth, most of the alcohol that Nora had found was either poor quality swill or spoiled after 200 years of improper storage.

Nick looked pensively into his drink before speaking, "Oh, I did a little favor for this rich-to-do caravaner when I first started out. He suspected that one of his guards had stolen money from him while they were camped down by the East Massachusetts Turnpike. I did some snooping around and discovered that the thief was actually a ghoul by the name of Sunny who was stealing money to help support a crippling addiction to Day Tripper. He was relieved that he didn't have to fire one of his best caravan guards, but he was still a little light on caps from the robbery so I bartered with him. I've just never had anyone to share it with until now."

"You have Ellie." Nora pointed out, cringing again at the irrational jealousy that sparked in her veins.

"Ellie? Oh, no. We have a great working relationship. Sometimes I think that she wants more out of our relationship, but I could never pursue her. She's a nice woman who doesn't need to pine after this ugly mug."

"Don't sell yourself short, Nick." Nora chuckled, more out of relief than anything. "There are plenty of women in the wasteland who would be lucky to have a man like you."

A pregnant silence filled the room and Nora full on blushed in embarrassment. "Look, I'm sorry. That was forward. I —"

"It's okay, doll. I — well uh, thanks for the compliment I guess." Nick stammered. He suddenly took great interest in fixing his tie and soothing down the lapels on his trench coat.

"Relationships are messy when you're in my line of work." Nick continued once he regained his composure. "I have far too many enemies who would like to hurt people who were close to me. Plus, I'm a synth and I'm not even one of the latest models. Ellie could do far better than my outdated husk."

There was a bitterness there in Nick's voice. A bitterness that was tinged in regret and melancholy.

"Speaking of that," Nora interjected trying to change the subject away from Ellie, "You never explained to me what a synth actually is."

She had heard enough rumors about the Institute by now that Nora could probably compose a pretty decent guess, but she also wanted a clear explanation that would hopefully level the playing field.

"Ah, yes. That was a purposeful deception on my part." Nick grinned and topped off both of their glasses with more liquor. "When you look as rough as I do, you get use to people staring. Not many people care enough to sit down with a synth and get to know him as though he was another person. You're the first person in over ten years who has cared enough to talk with me like I was an equal and not just a modified Mister Handy. So, thank you for that."

Nora flushed at the compliment and took another drink. If she was confronted by the sudden color in her cheeks, she could always blame it on the alcohol.

If Nick picked up on her sudden bashfulness, he didn't let on. "If you're interested, I'll tell you as much as I know. Consider it a fair trade for being forced to air your dirty laundry."

"That sounds like a wonderful trade-off." Nora replied. The alcohol was helping her relax; the painful memories of the Vault seemed like a long forgotten nightmare.

Nora and Nick talked for nearly five hours. First Nick talked about the history of synths — from what he could remember during his creation by the Institute — and then reminisced about the people who took him in while he was still trying to come to terms with the memories of the real Nick Valentine. Then Nick shared with her how he made it to Diamond City and worked as the town's handyman until he was tasked with rescuing the mayor's daughter. Eventually, the detective persona came naturally to him. Nick the synth and Nick Valentine the Pre-War cop melded together to create the Nick Valentine of today.

They settled into a comfortable silence once Nick finished his story. The soft pattering of rain could be heard on the tin roof and for a moment Nora forgot that she was 212 years out of her time. Nora loved to watch the rain fall from her living room window back in Sanctuary. The rain was cleansing and she would breathe in the cool, refreshing air when the windows were left open.

Nick cleared his throat once more which broke Nora out of her daydream. "Well, it looks like I've kept you for a bit too long. I don't need to sleep, but sometimes I forget that you humans do. Plus, we got in pretty late this morning. No sense in burning the candle at both ends two nights in a row. Allow me to walk you back to the Dugout Inn. Diamond City is pretty safe but you can never be too careful what with the Institute and their boogymen lurking in the shadows."

"Thank you, Nick." Nora replied with a chuckle. The bourbon was making her feel chipper and merry. "You're quite the gentleman."

Nick's smile reminded her of the movie posters with the All-American-Boy archetype as the lead. It was a genuine and kind smile that hid no ulterior motives or pretenses. His smile reminded her so much of Nate.

Nick led her out the door and offered her his arm like a true gentleman. They walked arm in arm across the empty marketplace and ducked under the awnings by the Science Center. The walk was short, but Nora felt content and at peace for the first time since Nate's death.

"Thanks for everything Nick." Nora said, breaking the silence between them. Her voice wavered with nerves. "You're the first person that I've told about Nate since his funeral. I'm sorry for … you know … disconnecting there for a bit. The memories are still fresh, and I have a hard time not getting sucked into that nightmare again."

"Nora, you've been through a helluva lot more than most people. Having some flashbacks like that is only natural. I'm here if you ever need to talk to someone who understands. I've — well — Nick's had his own share of trauma."

Nora nodded in understanding. She was still getting use to the idea that the man standing in front of her was more or less an echo of the Pre-War Nick Valentine.

"I feel that in this new world that I've been thrown into, emotions are a weakness. Death and hardship is so common when you are forced to eek out a meager survival in this wasteland. I'm just not use to that. So, thanks for not thinking that I was being weak."

Nick's yellow eyes seemed to smolder when he looked at her. "Don't ever be sorry for your emotions, doll. Your empathy is an incredibly rare trait. Too many people become hardened by the wasteland and forget that emotions are not a sign of weakness, they are a sign of strength and a sign of your humanity."

He was close enough to her that she could hear the whirling of his cooling fans and she could hear the soft, steady thumping of his artificial heartbeat.

She smiled shyly, "So I'll see you tomorrow … and we'll do some investigating in Kellogg's house?"

"I'll be there. You just stop by whenever you are ready." Nick's synthetic hand gently tucked a loose strand of damp chocolate colored hair behind her ear. "Goodnight, doll. Sleep well."

Nick Valentine tucked himself into his trench coat and tilted his fedora to protect himself from the rain. His coat fluttered around his legs as he disappeared into the darkness and Nora's fingers ghosted over where Nick had touched her.

The coolness from the rain did nothing to quench the fire she felt. However, Nate's face and her guilt over feeling something for a man other than her late husband washed over her like a cold wave.


	8. Guns Blazin'

Chapter 8

Nora awoke much earlier than the day before. Her Pipboy read 7:40am and try as she might, she couldn't fall back asleep. She dressed quietly; this time pulling on her blue vault suit and the pocketed leg armor that she made under Arturo's guidance. She also took the tin full of caps that Ellie had given her, and she added her meager earnings from her brief apprenticeship with Arturo to the lot. With a little more than 200 caps jingling in her pocket, Nora decided that she needed more substantial protection than what her meager armor was giving her.

Nobody was awake as she walked through the Dugout Inn lobby. She tried to square up her tab with Yefim last night, but he refused to accept her money, in fact, he gave her the key to the room and told her that it could be hers forever if she wished. Nora was pleased to have a more permanent place to stay, but still wanted to save up some money for a place that didn't have patrons passed out drunk in the bathroom stalls.

As Nora walked through the marketplace, she noticed that none of the shops were open yet, and she felt like it was too early to be calling on Nick to begin the investigation — even if he didn't sleep, Nora needed some time to cool down and get her thoughts in order before allowing herself to be in the same room as Nick.

That's when Nora saw Piper tousling Nat's hair as the teenager ran out the door.

"Nat, don't forget your bag!" Piper cried. Nat skidded to a stop and ran back to the porch where Piper held out a nondescript grey messenger bag. The words "US Postal Service" could barely be seen.

"Did you pack me extra Fancy Lad Snack Cakes?" Nat asked brightly.

"Sure did, kid. And I even put in a Nuka Cola. Now don't let that Pembroke kid steal it from you this time. That was my only Nuka Cola."

"Kay! Bye, sis!" Nat called and took off towards Nora.

"Hey, Nora. Bye, Nora!" She cried as she ran off towards the Diamond City school.

"Are you sure Nat should be ingesting that much sugar?" Nora asked lightly. Nat was already energetic enough without the inevitable sugar rush.

Piper shrugged. "Yeah, why? Sugar isn't bad for you. Even the advertisements for those snack cakes say that it's a 'big delight in every bite.' I'm just trying to share in the delight!"

Nora couldn't tell if Piper was joking or not. Nonetheless Piper continued, "So did you need something, or did you come by to give me parenting advice."

Nora flinched and had the common sense to look ashamed.

"Damn. Oh, hey Blue. I — I didn't mean it like that. I'm just not a morning person, I guess. Plus, you know. Teenagers — they're crazy, am I right?" Piper laughed awkwardly and then looked crestfallen when Nora didn't return the laughter.

"So…glad you dropped by." Piper replied, "How did your talk with Nicky go?"

"It went well, I think. I mean, we don't have a lot of evidence to go on yet, but I feel a little closer to finding out the truth … whatever that may be."

Piper nodded and an uncomfortable silence fell over them. Nora knew that Piper desperately wanted to get an interview from her but thankfully had enough common sense to stop asking once Nora dogged her enough times. Nevertheless, Nora felt like she owed Piper back somehow. So swallowed her pride.

"Look, Piper. I know you want to interview me, and I know that I've blown you off since I got here. But I — I guess I can interview with you now, if you have the time."

"R-Really, Blue? You're serious?"

Nora nodded.

"Alright! Awesome! I wont take up much of your time. I just have a few questions for a perspective piece that I'm working on. I think it's time that Diamond City had a little outside perspective on the Commonwealth."

Piper produced a small notepad and a pencil from her jacket pocket, and immediately began formulating the outline for the article. "Alright, so as much as you may not believe it, I really am just looking for honest answers. I already know that you're over 212 years old and that you were imprisoned in a Vault for that time. So, first question, since you're from a Vault, how would you describe your time on the inside?" …

Nora answered her questions automatically. She did her best to answer them honestly, even when asked about the advice she had for other people who had experienced the same sort of pain from losing someone they loved.

"Those are some beautiful sentiments Blue. Thank you." Piper finished scribbling in her notepad and tucked it safely back into her pocket. "Now, it's going to take me a while to put this all together, but I think your interview will give Diamond City plenty to talk about. Thanks for doing this, Blue. I know I can be pushy sometimes, but I appreciate your candor."

"You're welcome." Nora responded seriously. "Look Piper, I know that I can come off as aloof, but I'm just a little slow in trusting people. If there's any good that comes out of this, then I hope that others can at least take comfort in knowing they are not alone."

Piper hugged Nora; she flinched at the unexpected contact and then recieved the hug.

"Blue, sometimes you just gotta let people in. It can get lonely when you're facing the world alone. Hey, come have breakfast with me. I may not be the best cook but I have a stash of Fancy Lad Snack Cakes and some Sugar Bomb cereal that is calling my name."

Nora let Piper lead her into the trailer and she spent nearly all morning listening to Piper's experience about losing her father and how she felt a lot of pressure to care for her younger sister by herself. In fact, Nora didn't make it to Valentine's Detective Agency until mid noon, and when she arrived Ellie was already there hard at work organizing the large boxes of papers into piles. What surprised her, however, was seeing a dirty, tired, but happy German Shepherd laying next to Nick's desk.

"Hey dog!" Nora replied. "What are you doing here."

The dog's tag wagged furiously and nearly knocked over stacks of papers on the desk nearby. Nora's buried her hands into his thick fur and giggled when the dog tried to lick at her face.

"Blergh, no. Stop. Stop!"

Ellie chuckled, "That dog is a wonder. He arrived here this morning no worse for wear. God knows where he came from. But he's friendly and he certainly puts a smile on Nick's face — that's something he could use more of to be honest. Speaking of Nick…"

"Nick?" She called up the metal stairs.

"Yeah, doll?" His voice responded.

"Nora's here for you." Then she glanced at Nora, "He'll be right down. Make yourself comfortable."

Nora smiled politely and took a seat in the yellow armchair by the desk. Their coffee cups were still on the table from the night before. Dogmeat tried to jump into the chair with her but resigned to sitting by her side once he realized that he couldn't fit.

"So, you and Nick had a late night." Ellie said which jostled Nora out of her thoughts.

"Uh…" Nora froze. What was Ellie implying? She was Nick's client; was it inappropriate for a detective to share a drink with his client after a rather emotionally trying investigation?

"The Diamond City guards didn't see you leave until one this morning." She continued while she filed papers away absentmindedly. "I'm not surprised both of you are low on sleep. Burnin' the candle at both ends as my mom would say."

She gave Nora a warm smile. No, Ellie's comment was innocent. She was sharing an observation.

"Oh, yeah…" Nora replied and winced at her own voice. She wasn't normally this inarticulate. "Wait, Nick sleeps?"

Ellie chuckled, "No, no. He runs diagnostic programs on his hardware while the rest of us sleep. He's usually up way before me, but I figured that your late night meant that his diagnostics would take a little longer."

Nora was fascinated, but the sound of Nick descending the metal staircase stopped any further questions.

"Now, Ellie. Don't be giving away all my secrets." His low voice chastised jokingly. "I can't be having people think that I'm not as human as I let on."

"Oh Nick," Ellie chided, "You've always been more human than you've let on."

Nick flashed Ellie a wide smile and grabbed his belt holster from the nearby chair. At seeing the dog, he grinned and ruffled his fur with his metal hand. "Hey Dogmeat. I've missed you, boy. So Nora. Are you ready to head out? Do you need to get any supplies? If the trail takes us into the Commonwealth you'll want to be prepared for whatever may come knockin' on our door.

"No, I'm all set." She replied.

"Ellie, you're in charge. If we get captured by more gagsters and imprisoned in another Vault, just send the next client to come fetch us." Nick's wry smile and mischievous eyes were partially shrouded by his fedora. Dogmeat yipped happily at his side as though he was in on the joke.

Ellie smacked his arm playfully, "Oh Nick. That's nothing to joke about."

"See you, Ellie." Nora replied and followed Nick outside.

She followed Nick to a small, abandoned house that was tucked away in the corner. The house looked sturdy but the mail slot on the side of the door was full of cobwebs. Dogmeat followed the duo; the citizens had grown accustomed to seeing the strange dog mill about. He'd sometimes get scraps fed to him at Power Noodles. The citizens of Diamond City spent a lot of time driving out other wild beasts from the Commonwealth, but Dogmeat was the exception.

Nick tried the door handle but it was locked. He pressed his ear against the cool metal and closed his eyes as though he was listening for movement.

"The place is empty, but the house is locked up tight." Nick replied. "Interesting. Kellogg what are you hiding in here?"

"Do you know of anyone who might have the key?"

"Yeah, doll. But you're barking up the wrong tree. Mayor McDougnnah wont just give us the key. Believe me, I've tried to get into this house before."

Nora felt desperate. They had just started their investigation. She couldn't let one locked door keep her from finding her son.

"Where would the good Mayor be this afternoon?"

"He's probably eating lunch with the other blue bloods in the Upper Stands." Nick replied. "His secretary may be a good place to start. She would at least have a spare."

"Well, come on!" Nora urged but Nick remained steadfast. In fact, he was lounging against the metal railing. He pulled out a fresh pack of cigarettes and began hitting the package against his synthetic hand a few times before fishing one out.

"Sorry, doll. This is one quest that you'll have to do alone." He lit the cigarette and tossed the spent match onto the metal walkway. "I'm not allowed anywhere near the Upper Stands anymore. I was told that they would all throw me off the balcony and let Ellie pick up my pieces if I ever tried to set foot up there again."

"What? Why?"

Nick shrugged and took a long drag from the cigarette. "Why else? Bigotry. Misguided hatred for the Institute. Fear mongering thanks to McDougnnah himself. I didn't say it was right, but I've made my peace with it. I value my extremities too much to see whether their threat holds water."

Nora glanced at the Upper Stands and her brows furrowed. "You wait here. I'll be back."

Before Nick could protest, she took off through the marketplace at a light jog and followed a wooden sign that read: "Upper Stands and Mayor's Office." She stepped onto the metal platform and pushed the red button which made the rickety scaffolding lurch to life.

Nora's skin felt clammy and her stomach lurched as the lift took her high above the city. She was at least four stories up and there was nothing between her and the ground but a 200 year old metal railing. The thought of her accidentally falling out of the makeshift elevator made her head swim in terror.

Thankfully, the elevator jolted to a stop and the metal platform swung into the exposed window. A hawkish secretary with bright red lipstick and perfectly curled hair sat at the reception's desk and eyed her suspiciously as she stepped shakily off the platform.

"You must be the newcomer that Arturo patched up." The secretary replied, "If you are looking for weapons and armor, you'll have to return back to the marketplace. The mayor has a strict no-gun policy up in his office."

"Oh, I'm not a hired gun." Nora replied. "I'm actually looking for the mayor. I need to get into the abandoned house that Conrad Kellogg once lived in."

"I'm sorry. Any request involving current or former Diamond City citizens must go through the mayor and he isn't here right now." The woman was giving her a dismissal.

"Does he really need to be here? Surely you could help me out. My baby has been kidnapped and I think there may be clues to his whereabouts in that house."

"Why do you suspect that Mr. Kellogg is involved?" The secretary asked.

"I was there when he took my baby." Nora lied. She couldn't be sure that the man who infiltrated the Vault was Kellogg, but the secretary didn't need to know that. "I was frozen … in fear and I couldn't do anything to stop him."

The secretary's eyes shrewdly appraised the scene before her. Making the wrong decision here could cost her a job, but the peculiarly dressed woman before her seemed convincing. Far be it for her to stand in the way of saving a missing child.

Nora knew that she connected with the woman and she wiped away at a couple of stay tears to add credibility to her story. "I just want to get my baby back. Please."

"Listen, lady. This is a one-time deal, okay? If this key doesn't show up on my desk again in 1 hour, I'm going to tell the guards that it was stollen. I feel for you and your missing son — really I do — but your story doesn't pay my bills."

The severe woman slid her a small metal key discretely and returned back to her paperwork.

"Thank you." Nora whispered, "I'll have this back to you within the hour."

The woman didn't look up from the paperwork. Nora accepted the dismissal and clambered back onto the rickety lift and pushed the button to return back to the marketplace.

When she arrived back at the abandoned house, Nick was lounging casually against the metal railing tinkering with his metal hand. He was adjusting some joints and screws with a small red screwdriver. Nora cleared her throat when she approached and flashed the key to Nick.

"Color me impressed, doll. What deals with the devil did you make to pry this key away from the Mayor's hands?"

Nora shrugged as she put the small metal key into the lock. "None. The secretary has a soft spot for weeping mothers who are looking to get vengeance against the man who kidnapped her baby."

"We don't now if Kellogg is our man. He's only a suspect right now."

"Yes," Nora agreed, "But she didn't know that. We have to move fast, though. I could only buy us an hour's time until my white lies come crashing down on us."

If Nick disapproved of her deceit, he didn't show it. The duo entered the darkened and musty house.

At first, the investigation of the house yielded nothing unusual. The man kept a spartan home; the furnishings were basic and there was nothing out of place. It was as though he decided to up and leave one day and never come back. In fact, the only evidence that he had a child with him was an old crumpled copy of a _Future Weapon's Today_ magazine and a pristine, albeit dusty, teddy bear.

"Nick, nobody's been here in years. How long ago did you say that Kellogg was in town?"

Nick frowned, "It was a few months ago at least. However, I never saw the kid with him. If we've got our timeline correct, then the kid was taken five or six years before you unfroze. He couldn't be older than six or seven today."

Despite the stress and anxiety that Nora felt, she couldn't help but feel relieved that she could still have a future with her son. She could still be his mother. She could still cobble together some semblance of a family life. That was assuming that Shaun was still alive, of course. Nora shook her head to clear away those intrusive thoughts. No, thinking like that wouldn't help anyone.

The two examined and explored every nook and cranny in the house. Nora was almost ready to give up hope and declare that the trail had gone cold until a small, nondescript red button was poking out from beneath a worn wooden table.

"What's this here?" She mumbled and pushed it. Across the room, a false panel slid up away from the wall and revealed a secret room.

Nick whistled appreciatively. "Would you look at that. I think you just hit the jackpot."

The secret room was small and bathed in sterile white light. Military bags and stockpiles of ammunition lined the metal shelves. Boxes of cigars, Nuka Cola Quantum, and canned food were instersperced between the bags and weapons. A solitary red chair sat in the middle of the room; it looked worn and heavily used.

"What type of a man would lounge in a storeroom full of ammunition?" Nora mused aloud.

"A mercenary that's who." Nick replied. His hand picked up a half smoked cigar and turned the faded stogie over in his hand. "To him, unwinding with a nightcap and a smoke would be the perfect way to relax. San Fransisco Sunlights, huh. That's a curious brand."

"Still, we don't have very much to go on." Nora replied. "How are some cigars and beer going to help pick up his trail?"

Nora and Nick paused for a moment until Nora remembered the dog that Nate and her once had. It was the runt of the litter, but the dog had a nose that could smell food a mile away — even if that food was stored safely away in the neighbor's garbage cans.

"Could the dog do it?" She suggested.

Nick pursed his lips in consideration, "Dogs have been known to track people for miles. This trail may be years old at best, but it couldn't hurt to try. What'd'ya say Dogmeat? Can you find us our man?"

Dogmeat yipped happily. He sniffed the cigar and then sniffed around the small house before he caught the trail. The dog pawed at the metal door and barked relentlessly. As soon as Nora and Nick let him outside, the German Shepard took off through the marketplace like a brown and black blur.

The duo followed the dog out of the city and through the winding alleyways of ruined Boston. The dog cut west and passed by Oberland Station cutting through an old subway station.

Nora was sweating as she tried to run with her duffle bag full of supplies and scavenged medicine. But as the duo crested a nearby hill, Nora noticed an upturned, rusted truck was partially shielding what looked like a robot woman's body. The group slowed their pace to a walk as they approached the wreckage.

"Damn, hell of a party happened here." Nick said as they approached the smoking wreckage. Burn marks on the ground told Nora that the assailants were using energy weapons. Nick picked up a spent bullet casing and held the gold shell up. His pupils dilated as though he was examining the bullet's chemical components.

"Critical signs … ALERT! I can't feel my legs." Nora looked around frantically for the source of the voice.

"Lower your weapons assailant!" A small metal head which vaguely resembled the delicate features of a woman's face sat on an empty box. The robot's cold, merciless eyes flickered on and off and the robot's voice began warping as the voice modulator was losing power.

"C'mon, we have to keep going." Nick replied. "There's no use standing around here; we know Kellogg came this way. Dogmeat, can you still follow the scent?"

The dog yipped again in confirmation obviously enjoying all of this exercise. Nora sighed and jogged after the tireless robot and his faithful canine companion and silently wished that she jogged more in her old life.

They didn't stop until the group reached a metal chain-link fence that had a piece of copper-stained fabric hanging off one of its sharp ends.

"We're getting close. I can feel it." Nick cried. He pulled the cloth off the gate and gave it to Dogmeat to sniff.

The dog took off over the hills like a rocket and the duo followed him until they found themselves outside of the Fort Hagen military base.

"Is this the place, huh? Is he in here boy?"

The dog let out a happy howl and started furiously scratching at the sandbag barricade.

"I knew Dogmeat would sniff our man out. Let's you and I take it from here and give our four-legged friend a break."

Dogmeat barked happily and weaved in-between Nick and Nora's legs.

"Go on, go home dog!" Nora ordered and gently pushed him away with her leg.

The dog looked overjoyed but took off towards the north with his tail wagging happily as he ran.

—

When Nick and Nora entered Fort Hagen, Nora never realized that she might not leave the place alive.

Before making it into the first room, both of them were ambushed by two Gen-1 synths; one had an electric baton that met with Nick's shoulder while the other was unarmed and came running towards Nora with it's fists ready to fight. Nora shot the approaching synth three times in the head before the construct finally fell.

Then there was a large explosion of sparks and the smell of burning metal met Nora's nose.

"Nick!" She cried and tried to glance over at her partner. Her cry was met with an anguished cry of his own.

"I'm fine, doll. Keep shooting these bastards!"

As Nick fought with the synth that dropped his shock baton, the ensuing chaos drew another synth into the room. A blue laser missed Nora's hip, and the synth's cold, calculated eyes met hers.

"TERMINATE ENEMY HOSTILE." The mechanical voice yelled before aiming his pistol at Nora's face.

Nora ducked away from the second shot and fired two more of her own into the synth's chest. The synth's armor plating blew off in a shower of sparks, but the synth was still functional.

"DO NOT FIGHT. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE."

This time, the synth's laser met it's mark in Nora's shoulder. The bullet felt like it was molten lava. The pain began spreading through her veins and she smelled the singed fabric of her blue jumpsuit. Nora's hand clasped around the wound; she fired two more shots off and this time they decapitated the enemy synth easily.

Nora collapsed to the rubble; her head was swimming in the pain. A figure lifted her up to her feet and then pushed her into a nearby bathroom and shut the door. When her vision cleared, she saw Nick pushing a broken toilet in front of the door.

"DIRECTIVE FROM KELLOGG. KILL THE INTRUDERS" A synth's voice said. The voice sounded like it was getting closer.

Nick pressed his finger to his lips to signal Nora to be quiet.

"I UNDERSTAND NOW." The voice said right outside the bathroom door, "YOU ARE HIDING BECAUSE YOU FEAR DEATH."

Nora's eyes were wide with fear. The crude AI that the synths possessed made them a lot more calculating and threatening than she had first anticipated, but Nick didn't look phased at all. He crouched next to the door and waited, gun in hand, as the synth began pounding against the blocked door.

The broken toilet scratched the cracked linoleum as the door was forced open bit by bit. Once there was sufficient room for Nick's weapon, he stuck his gun into the hallway and began firing rapidly.

Nora's head swam again in the pain and she must have briefly blacked out because when her vision sharpened again, Nick was gingerly moving her burnt vault suit from her shoulder. A stimpack was clamped between his teeth, and a can of their purified water sat opened next to them.

Nora grinded her teeth when Nick poured the lukewarm water over her wound. The pain ached, but the burning sensation had died down. Then she felt an uncomfortable pinch as Nick pushed the needle of the stimpack above the wound and drew the plunger. Immediately, the sharp pain subsided into a dull ache.

"Thanks," Nora replied weekly. "How are you doing? That was some fireworks show back there."

Nick grimaced as he removed his trench coat and hung it on a towel rack. His white dress shirt and tie were singed by the sparks. "I wont know how bad the internal damage is until I do a diagnostic scan. This place ain't exactly comfortable, but it would do you good to get some sleep before we move further into this place."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Nora asked. She felt like she owed Nick for tending to her. He was the more adept fighter, and he rescued her from the fray. Nora didn't like feeling that she was being babysat.

"Not unless you're an ace mechanic." Nick replied as he loosened his tie and set it on the towel rack. "I'll be fine, doll. I may be an old synth, but the advantage of being a prototype is that I was built with sturdier stuff than most of these conveyer belt rejects."

Nick slumped down against tile wall; his feet were splayed out in front of him. "We'll get going in an hour or so."

He tilted the fedora forward on his head so it shrouded his eyes. To the passerby, it would look like he was asleep, but the occasional trill from his processors and the increased whirling of his cooling fans told another story.

Nora couldn't sleep. She used her rucksack as a pillow and stared blankly at the cracked white ceiling. Dark mold and water stains were painted across the drop ceiling like angry clouds. The pain in her shoulder had finally died down, but Nora's thoughts raced.

She worried about Shaun. If he was imprisoned in a place like this, then she didn't dare think about the trauma and the horrors that he had been exposed to. She also thought about Nate. The decorations of Old Glory and the occasional military chest lying in the rubble made her heart ache for her late husband. Although it was getting easier for Nora to accept his death, she knew that Nate would've never gotten shot. Hell, she could even see Nate and Nick become fast friends. Nate's easy going smile and Nick's wit and intelligence would make them a duo to be reckoned with. In every way, Nora felt inadequate to Nate's memory, and that pain hurt her worse than any burn or bullet ever could.

True to his word, Nick's diagnostic scan ended within the hour and he stretched on the ground and then groaned when he rose to his feet.

"So what's the verdict? Do I need to start digging you a grave too?" Nora's response was morose. She cringed at her words; her mind often became morbid when she was wrapped in her own thoughts.

"No, not today, doll." Nick smirked. "Most of the fireworks were because the shock baton shorted my auditory cortex. The central processors are fine, and my nonessential functions are back online.

"Nonessential functions?" Nora asked. She brushed the dirt off her vault suit and grabbed her knapsack and gun.

"Mostly things like sight, hearing, touch, and taste are relegated to temporary memory. I lost my hearing for a second when the synth attacked me because he shorted out my system. I assume those processors were meant to mimic the part of the brain that controls those things in humans."

Nora gaped at him. "That's amazing."

Nick snorted. "You have low expectations for what's amazing, doll. But I appreciate the compliment, I guess."

Nick pushed the broken toilet away from the door and cautiously peeked his head out before motioning to Nora that the coast was clear. They tiptoed down hallway; the smoldering remains of the synths they fought lay sparking in the dirt and rubble. Nora figured that Kellogg would be burrowed in the bottom of Fort Hagen like an animal in its den.

As they descended the stairs, Nora heard another synth call out, "MY SENSORS ARE DETECTING HOSTILE LIFE." Nora grabbed Nick's shoulder and motioned for him to stop. Nora reached into her bag and grabbed the last baseball grenade that Arturo showed her how to make. It worked well on the raiders in the Beantown Brewery, so maybe the explosion would be more potent against the synth's artificial armor than mere bullets.

"COME OUT" The synth called. "THERE WILL ONLY BE A MOMENT OF PAIN BEFORE YOU DIE."

Nora creeped down the stairs and looked into the next room. The hallway was long, and three synths stood around the larger synth with a white and red laser rifle. The grenade wouldn't be strong enough to take them all out, but Nora hoped that the grenade would at least weaken them.

Nora pulled the pin from the top of the baseball and gripped the laces firmly under her fingers. She tried to imagine that she was pitching the ball like she did during her high school softball practice. For the optimal placement, the throw had to be lobbed low and drop in-between the two synths near the middle of the room. She wound up her arm and tossed the ball underhand and watched as it hit the ground, bounced twice, and then rolled towards her target.

"MY SENSORS ARE DETECTING — "

Nora ducked back behind the wall and covered her ears. The explosion was like throwing a firecracker into a hornet's nest. The synths that were hit the hardest were frantically beeping; their voice modulators had been damaged. The two others that survived sounded unharmed.

Using the wall as cover, Nora took out the first remaining synth easily. The other synth, however, was wearing a helmet and wore white body armor that deflected most of her shots.

Nick put two of his own slugs into the synth and damaged it's face plating. The synth's eyes were sparking and it's voice became garbled and full of static. Once Nora reloaded, she placed two more shots into the synth's head before it's body fell over and exploded into red and yellow sparks.

"Nora, get back." Nick growled, but Nora was too distracted by the fireworks to understand his words.

The synth's exposed arm had fallen into a puddle of oil underneath their feet. Nora felt the color drain from her face; the spark that landed in the iridescent liquid fell in slow motion. Nick grabbed Nora and pulled her to her feet and nearly dragged her back up the stairs.

The explosion sounded like the whoosh when a gas heater ignites, and bright flames threw their shadows onto the stairwell wall. Intense flames licked at her back, and Nora and Nick retreated farther up the stairs to get away from the blistering heat.

"You okay, doll?" Nora couldn't see his face through all of the black, acrid smoke.

"Yeah, I think so. You?" She coughed.

"I'm alive. My coat's burnt to a crisp though. Would you mind holding my personal effects until I can get another coat?" His voice was light, but Nora felt badly that she nearly got them both killed twice in one day.

"Look, Nick. You don't have to do this. We made it this far together."

Nick coughed and emerged from the smoke like a phantom. "What would you have me do, doll? Hold your purse while you take care of business? You need my help, and I'm happy to give it to you. Now, I can't tell if that was an excellent throw, or a terrible one, but how 'bout we stick to strictly guns from now on."

Nora ignored his friendly jib and watched as he emptied his trench coat pockets onto the nearby end table. "Nick, I've nearly killed you twice now. Why put yourself in another dangerous situation for me?"

"What can I say, doll, I'm a massochist I guess." Nick's wry smile was simultaneously endearing and frustrating. "Once the smoke clears, you and me are gonna get down there and make that bastard pay."

Nora wanted to protest, but begrudgingly tossed Nick's things (a pair of handcuffs, a metal detective's badge, a screwdriver, and two crumpled packages of cigarettes) into her rucksack.

"Wait, there's this." Nick replied and produced a silver locket on a thin, long silver chain. The locket was tarnished and looked grey, but the picture inside was clearly of a woman with blond hair and an infectious smile.

"It's something from my … Nick's … old life." Nick mumbled. He tossed his burnt trench coat onto the floor and redid his tie.

"Who was she?" Nora asked when Nick delicately placed the locket in the palm of her hand. The metal was cool and Nora delicately placed it in a small stitched pouch on the inside; she was afraid she would break it otherwise.

Nick cleared his throat. "That was Jenny." He seemed like he wanted to say more, but Nora saw the guilt, sadness, and shame that flickered across his face, and decided to let the topic drop. So what if Nick — the synth or the man — had a girlfriend. If Ellie wasn't it, then it would make sense that Nick would have a woman somewhere. Maybe she was waiting for him to get back home to her.

"Shall we?" Nick asked. His voice seemed rougher and smoky. He couldn't meet Nora's eyes.

"Thanks Nick." She replied. She touched his bare arm gently and marveled at the lifelike texture of his pale skin. "Thanks for watching my back."

"Anytime doll." His smile was genuine and warm, but the sadness that the locket caused hadn't left his eyes.

Both Nick and Nora descended the burnt concrete staircase and prepared themselves for the toughest fight of their lives.

The rest of the fighting went without incident. Kellogg must've stashed the group of synths right away expecting that any intruders would get killed off immediately. The activated laser turrets went down in two or three shots, and the remaining synths were poorly protected, some were even just walking technological skeletons — just bones and wires.

Yet, as they drew closer to Kellogg's lair, his voice echoed over the intercom. At first, his comments were just insults and jabs. He wanted her to doubt herself. But as they got closer, she could almost hear the fear in Kellogg's voice.

When they reached the final door, Kellogg voice said "Alright, let's talk. My synths will stand down for now."

The black double doors opened in front of her automatically. There Kellogg stood with three large synth bodyguards. His piercing gaze cut her to her core.

"And there she is. The most resilient woman in the Commonwealth. I'm impressed." He certainly looked impressed. He eyed Nora like she was a prized brahmin. The condescension and possessiveness in his gaze made her want to punch him in the jaw.

Kellogg let out a bark-like laugh, "So, here we are. It's funny. I was told you weren't going to make it this far. I was told that the big, bad Commonwealth would've killed you before I ever had the pleasure."

No. Nora wouldn't stand for his baiting. She didn't just trek halfway across the Commonwealth to listen to his gloating.

"You murdering, kidnapping psychopath." Her voice cut like ice. "Give me my son. Give me Shaun. Now!"

Kellogg's smile got wider but his eyes darkened into something more primal. "Right to it then? You don't waste any time. Your son, Shaun. Great kid. He's a little older than you may have expected but I'm guessing you figured that out by now. But if you were hoping for a happy reunion, I'm sorry to say that it ain't gonna happen. Your boy's not here."

Nora raised her gun to Kellogg's head. "You motherfucker. Tell me where he is!"

Kellogg didn't blink. He didn't even seemed phased that a gun was inches from his head. He was calm and collected which was unnerving. He was like a predator just waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

"What's the cliche?" He grinned. "'So close, and yet so far away?' That's Shaun. But don't worry. You'll die knowing he's safe and happy. He's a lot safer than he would've been with you. But hey, we can't all have happy endings now can we?"

"Fuck you." Nora cursed. She put the barrel of her gun to Kellogg's head. She was determined to serve this bastard the same fate that he gave to Nate. It would be Nora's poetic justice.

"Doll," Nick warned, "Let's be careful here. We don't know where Shaun is yet."

"That's right," Kellogg sneered, "Listen to the reject synth. I am still holding all of the cards. But I've think we've talked on long enough. I'll tell you what, right before I deliver the fatal blow, I will tell you where Shaun is. That way you can die with the knowledge that you've finished your futile quest."

"Go. To. Hell." Nora spat and pulled the trigger. Kellogg's head reeled back, but the man didn't go down. Instead he pushed a button on a small machine that was in his hands and disappeared into thin air.

An invisible punch hit her square in the stomach, and Nora was sent reeling backwards. The other synths, Kellogg's bodyguards, were ganging up on Nick and ignored Nora for now.

Nora was struck yet again by the invisible assailant, but she had a plan. Nora shot blindly towards where she thought Kellogg should be. She could barely detect a faint shimmer in the air from his stealth field. The first two shots missed, but the third one caused an explosion of blood to appear near his leg. Kellogg groaned in pain as the Stealth Boy had run its course. The stealth shield flickered away and Kellogg looked at Nora murderously.

"You're fuckin' dead. You hear me?"

Nora backed away from the scene and reloaded her gun. Nick had taken one of the synths down and his sparking body lied in a pile of disassembled parts on the floor.

Nora had two choices. She could run back the way she came and regroup before trying to attack Kellogg. However, the thought of leaving Nick behind outnumbered and outmatched was unacceptable. No, she would have to face him head on.

Kellogg activated another stealth boy and disappeared. Nora whirled around and frantically looked for the unnatural shimmering of his shrouded disguise but saw nothing. He seemingly disappeared into thin air.

As she snuck around the discarded and broken computer terminals, Nora felt the hairs on her neck prickle. A large explosion to her right knocked her into a table full of new, shiny medical equipment and a yellow fireball engulfed the back corner of the room. It was in the exact spot that she had last seen Nick fighting the two synths.

"Nick!"

She rushed towards the destruction but felt an invisible figure grab her by her collar and pull her back to the ground. Her head snapped back and hit the concrete. Her vision swam and was tinted red.

"That synth reject doesn't need you, _doll_ " Kellogg sneered as he materialized right on top of Nora. His heavy boot dug painfully into her right wrist as he slowly applied enough pressure for her to drop her gun.

Nora gritted her teeth and blinked her eyes against the hot tears. She would't cry in front of this monster.

Kellogg drew himself up to his full height which put even more pressure on Nora's pinned wrist. The popping of bones was heard and she knew that her wrist was either fractured or broken.

"Oh Nora," He tutted disappointedly. "and here I thought you'd provide a real challenge. Oh well, you'll rejoin your husband soon. Don't worry."

Kellogg pointed his heavily modified .45 pistol at Nora's head. "Give my regards to your husband. Tell him that I'm sorry his wife was such a failure."

Nora squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for a shot that never came. Instead, a sick gurgling sound met her ears and Nora opened her eyes. Kellogg's face was pale and his lips were stained red. Two inches below his rib cage, a large hunting knife was embedded into his body. A rather disheveled and injured Nick Valentine was behind him pushing the knife into the man's stomach.

He let out a pitiful and loud wail and fell to his knees in front of them.

"Nora, end this." Nick grunted. The hunting knife was merely subduing the monster. Nick was giving Nora the chance for the killing blow.

Quickly, she picked up Kellogg's gun that he had dropped and pointed it at his head. Finally, at long last, Nora had the murderer and kidnapper in front of her to accept the judgement. In the murder of Nate Pendleton and the kidnapping of Shaun Pendleton, she found the defendant guilty. She was his judge, jury and executioner.

Her finger gently squeezed the trigger and the bullet that was meant for her lodged itself into Kellogg's already bloody head. His head snapped back from the recoil; a burst of red caught her eye and then he fell sideways into a crumpled heap. The gun in her hand was smoking and she dropped the weapon like it had shocked her.

Justice was finally served, but Nora felt numb and empty. What did she think would happen? She murdered a man — not necessarily in cold blood, but murdered him nonetheless.

"Nora?" Nick asked cautiously. His white dress shirt was stained with Kellogg's blood and parts were burnt away revealing grey synthetic skin underneath.

Nora was frozen. She didn't realize that she was trembling until Nick took her into his arms.

"Hey. You're alright, doll." His words washed over her and warmed her like good booze. "That monster deserved what he got."

Panting gasps turned into sobs. Several conflicting emotions overwhelmed her. She felt satisfaction with Kellogg's death, but she also felt lost. Kellogg was the guiding beacon for her life. Everything that she had done over the last few months were to find him in hopes that she could find her son. Now with Kellogg dead and her son still missing, she felt like the light guiding her to finish the long quest had been snuffed out. The trail to her son was cold and she had nothing to show for it.

"C'mere, Doll." Nora was encompassed by his warm frame. She buried her face into his shoulder. He smelled of tobacco and coffee. The smells reminded her of home. "Hey, you did what you needed to. Don't feel bad about killing him. The man had it coming. Hell, I would've killed him if you had given me the chance."

Nora pulled out of the hug but still held onto Nick's trench coat. "I don't feel badly, Nick. I am relieved that I could finally get revenge for Nate. But, now I feel … lost. I thought Kellogg would've had Shaun, or would've at least told me what became of him. He took one final thing away from me and he took it too his grave."

"Don't worry." Nick replied. "A man like Kellogg was too egotistical to not leave some evidence behind to help us find your son. In fact …" Nick paused and knelt down next to Kellogg's corpse. Suddenly, Nora saw it too.

"What is that?" Nora asked as Nick pulled the artificial device from Kellogg's skull. The device was tainted red from his blood, but it looked synthetic and it spanned nearly all of the left hemisphere of his now ruined brain.

"It looks like a type of artificial brain augmentation." Nick replied in awe. "I've only seen pictures of these in some of the old case files that I've studied. A group of Old World scientists out West would do experiments on people they captured to determine if machines could augment the human body."

"And you think that's what happened to Kellogg?"

"No. There are no reports of the experiments ever living after being captured." Nick replied and then wrapped the bloody artifact in a handkerchief before pocketing it. "But that doesn't mean the technology didn't get out. I'm willing to bet that the Institute somehow took that technology and enhanced it. It would explain how quickly it took them to jump from the Gen-2 synths to the Gen-3."

The Institute. Kellogg was affiliated with them somehow which meant that the next logical place to look for her son was with them.

"The trail hasn't gone cold yet, doll." Nick replied. "What he did was unprecedented, but he would still want to gloat somewhere. How 'bout you get some sleep while I check some of his terminals. Even if he has it locked, I can still try and hack it."

"Thanks Nick. Wake me up when you find anything?"

"Will do. Now get some rest."

Nora slept fitfully. She found a bedroom that was attached to Kellogg computer hub, but the bed felt all wrong. While pristine looking, the sheets felt scratchy on her skin and the mattress was rolled foam. She missed the warm, cozy atmosphere of The Dugout Inn. She missed the hum of patrons in the bar and the occasional roar of Yefim when he finally had enough of his brother. No, this place was like a tomb or a vault. It was too quite … to sterile.

She woke only an hour later after terrifying nightmares that left her in a cold sweat, yet upon waking their images ran from her head like spilled water. She pulled on the leather jacket that Ellie had given her; it was a much needed relief since her vault suit and her armor were bloody and in need of repairs. She walked back to the computer hub where Nick was busy working.

The synth was hunched over a pristine white terminal muttering to himself in frustration.

"Those … animals." He snarled under his breath. His mechanical hand struck keys as he navigated through the files on the computer. Nora cleared her throat to indicate her presence.

"So? What's the verdict? Did you find any information about my son."

Nick winced as he stood up and leaned farther back to stretch out his sore back. "Most of Kellogg's entries were as you would expect, dull, self aggrandizing, and full of half-truths."

Nick was avoiding her question. "Nick. Where is Shaun?"

It took him a moment to look her in the eyes, but when he did they held sorrow, pain, and compassion. "Nora, he's with the Institute. Kellogg was paid to kidnap him. They only stopped by Diamond City temporarily before somehow disappearing from the Commonwealth."

"Well, that's not terrible news." Nora reasoned. "You were created at the Institute and you escaped. So we know its somewhere in the Commonwealth, at least."

Nick wasn't convinced, and in fact, he looked almost guilty. "Doll, I don't remember anything about my time at the Institute. Sure, I get flashes of memory but they're fleeting and its impossible to make any sense out of them. I don't remember anything of my life — or of Nick's life — until I woke up in a trash heap outside of the CIT ruins."

"There has to be a way, Nick."

"We're in the weeds, here. It's time to take a step back. Bring in some fresh eyes. There's a woman who lives in Goodneighbor, her name is Dr. Amari, and I think she can tell us what that cybernetic implant was used for. I suggest that we stop there next; she's a speciality with neurology and may have some clues about how to get us into the Institute."

"Goodneighbor? Where's that?" Nora asked.

"You'll probably remember it as Scollay Square. The city was built up out of the rubble of the large skyscrapers that collapsed when the bombs fell. A couple old buildings still stand, but the place is a dive. A mob boss by the name of Vic use to run the town. Thankfully, he was overthrown and now Goodneighbor is advertised as a place that's "by the people, for the people."

Nora frowned at Nick's critique. Scollay Square use to be a vibrant arts district. She never had the pleasure of visiting for too long, but she often passed through the town on her way to the Boston City Hall.

"I take it that you don't really like Goodneighbor." Nora replied.

"No, I like it just fine. That town is keeping me in business. I'm there at least twice a month hunting down runaways hooked on chems or wayward husbands trying to meet up with lovers." Nick shrugged, "The town is fun if you're into nightlife, but I'm more of the quiet night in type of guy."

Nora sighed hopelessly. Each step closer they get to Shaun feels like he takes another step away from them. Nick gently turned her around to face him, but she couldn't meet his eyes. "Hey, chin up doll. The night may have gotten darker, but it wont last forever. We will get your boy."

Despite Nick's encouragement, Nora was silent during the long elevator ride to the roof. Nick expertly navigated the computer terminal and the door slid open and the evening glow seemed to kiss the land.

Nora took a comforting breath of fresh air. Nick was right, they couldn't lose hope yet. Nate wouldn't give up; he would've traveled to the moon if he knew that was where the Institute was hiding. She was about to descend the wooden planks to get off the roof, but Nora bumped painfully into Nick whose eyes were fixed to the sky. His lit cigarette lay burning and forgotten in his metal hand.

"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing." Nick's voice was ominous, and then Nora saw what great beast had struck fear into the synth's heart.

A massive airship crested over the tree line as several Vertibirds flew along side it like metal guardians. The sound of the Vertibird choppers and the roaring of the airship's engine temporarily drowned out all sound. A couple of radstags took of through the nearby trees, and Nora wondered how other people were reacting to this alien visitor.

Then a man's voice boomed out over a PA system. "Do not interfere. Our intentions are peaceful. We are the Brotherhood of Steel."

Nick's eyes widened as though he had just seen the Devil himself fly in, but Nora felt confused. "Who's the Brotherhood of Steel."

"Someone we need to worry more about than the Institute and their boogymen." Nick spat and took off down the wooden ramps at a light jog. "Let's make camp for the night and then I'll tell you all about the Brotherhood of Steel."

Nora followed closely after him. The commander aboard the airship just told her that they had nothing to fear. Maybe it was Nora's naivety, but she was inclined to believe them.

Nick, however, seemed like he was ready for a war.


	9. That Goodneighbor Good Shit

Chapter 9

The sun was beginning to set below the trees and Nora called for Nick to stop his hasty retreat.

"We need to find somewhere to rest, Nick." She panted and dropped her bag full of their belongings onto the ground. "You may have bionic legs or something, but I need to slow it down a little."

Nora brushed the sweaty strands of hair away from her face. Her Pipboy said that it was June, but it already felt like the dog days of summer: hot and humid.

Nick looked sheepish. "I … uh. I'm sorry. There's a Red Rocket gas station outside of the town that we can hole up in for the night."

He retrieved the bag from the ground and slung the strap over his shoulder. He thought about chiding her for packing too heavy but realized that they'd be grateful for a change of clothes and some small creature comforts after their battle with Kellogg.

They walked side-by-side towards the glowing Red Rocket that was perched on top of the building. This gas station was small and it lacked a wrap around dining area that many of the other larger stations had. It didn't take them long to clear out a small space for Nora to put some blankets down. Nick started a small fire in a metal grated trash can, and Nora ate a cold can of pork and beans and half of a crushed package of Fancy Lad Snack Cakes while Nick made some minor repairs on his metal hand.

"So, are we going to talk about what happened back there?" Nora asked tentatively, once dinner was done. "You know, about why that blimp is supposedly bringing the next nuclear holocaust."

Nick sighed, "Call it a hunch or a cop's intuition, but I just got a bad feeling about them. That's all."

"A bad feeling." Nora repeated in disbelief. "C'mon Nick, back there you looked like they were going to open fire on us for just standing there."

The detective swallowed thickly. "Look, I know you can't take what people say at face value. But, rumors have traveled all the way from The Pitt to the Capital Wasteland. Some people herald these guys as heroes while others see them as the Grim Reaper himself."

"So your fears of them are based on rumors?." Nora replied as if to confirm a suspicion.

"No." He replied with more bite than he intended. He then softened, "Nora. You were thrust into this world with no preparation for its dangers. Not all monsters look like feral ghouls, raiders, or Super Mutants."

"So these Brotherhood of Steel guys are monsters too?" She asked. "What's their charge? What crime have they committed that warranted this hasty sentence?"

"Easy there counselor," Nick replied with a smirk and then continued on a more serious note. "Past reports going as far back as the year 2100 have recorded many instances when the Brotherhood of Steel were involved in some … morally grey events. Yet, it's their main tenants that they drill into new recruits that I fear the most. They expect unwavering loyalty from their troops and they destroy anything and everything that isn't like them or isn't willing to join their ranks."

"They don't sound inherently evil. Just … overzealous, maybe. Nate could sometimes get too militant, especially after a long, stressful weekend on base. Sometimes that kind of discipline can be intimidating."

Nick wanted to argue further but was wading in dangerous waters. He couldn't get her to see reason without tarnishing the sterling reputation of her military husband.

"Look, how about we agree to disagree on this matter." Nora suggested. She didn't want to fight with Nick. If these Brotherhood guys were built out of the remnants of the United States Army, then they couldn't be all bad. Hopefully Nick could see that in time.

"That's fair enough." Nick replied. He sat across from Nora and finished off a cigarette. "Sleep well, Doll. We'll leave at daybreak"

Nora snuggled into the blankets and thought once more about the Brotherhood and their soldiers and imagined Nate flying a vertibird through the Commonwealth wasteland: untouchable and free as his enemies below him met their deaths.

* * *

 _Nora found herself outside of Sanctuary Hills again. The place looked exactly like it had when she left; the houses were in disrepair, junk was strewn around, and Codsworth floated happily as he trimmed a hedge of dead geraniums._

 _Yet, when she turned to her left Nick stood beside her._

 _"This is a swell community here, Nora. Sure, it's a fixer-upper but with enough love and repair, I could see this place becoming as formidable as Diamond City."_

 _Nora beamed at his compliment and took his hand gently and led him towards her old house. "C'mon, I think the Pre-War Nick in you will get a kick out of my old house. I'm surprised at how well things stayed intact. Who knows, maybe we can find some good salvage to take back to Diamond City. Your agency could use some new decorations."_

 _Nick followed her obediently but then stopped when a large shadow emerged from the tree line and blocked out the sun._

 _"Do not interfere. Our intentions are peaceful. We are the Brotherhood of Steel." The PA boomed._

 _"Nora, c'mon. We have to leave!" Nick urged. He frantically tugged at Nora's vault suit, but she remained rooted to the ground._

 _"Wait Nick. Let's just hear what they have to say." She replied. Nora waved merrily at the vertibirds overhead. One vertibird swooped lower and circled Sanctuary Hills before settling down in the cal-de-sac; the metal bird's landing made the limbs of the mighty tree sway._

 _Two armored men hopped out of the Vertibird and began walking down the road towards Nick and Nora._

 _"Nora! Doll, we need to run!" Nick cried and tugged at her sleeve like a child._

 _Nora was frozen. She watched the soldiers approaching with their large rifles and still didn't understand the panic that Nick felt. These men — she assumed they were men — wouldn't hurt them. The Brotherhood of Steel was forged out of the Pre War military, so they couldn't mean her any harm._

 _Nick trembled beside her, but before Nora could place a comforting hand on his arm she heard a muffled voice cut out from the suit of Power Armor._

 _"Engaging enemy hostile. Destroy the synth abomination."_

 _The closer solider's gun emitted a blinding blue light, and she could feel the heat of the plasma bullet pass to her right. Nick cried out in pain and crumpled to the ground. He was holding a gaping, burning wound in his chest. His central processor and important microchips and wires sparked angrily in the metal cavern of his chest. He held her gaze before his warm yellow eyes flickered once before going dim._

 _Nora couldn't comprehend the scene that had unfolded. She collapsed to the ground next to Nick's body and patted his burned shirt uselessly as though she was going to give CPR to his dead body._

 _"NOOOO." She cried. Her voice was purely animalistic and raw. "What have you done?"_

 _"No, Nora." The man's voice said now clearer. "What have you done?"_

 _She looked up at the soldier who had removed his helmet. His dark hair was untidy and matted, but his eyes were alert and focused in on her with passion and fury. Nora's eyes focused in on the face of her dead husband._

 _"You fell in love with him, Nora. How could you? He's not even human." Nate voice was full of scorn and contempt. Nate had never talked to her like that before._

 _"I'm sorry." She whimpered pathetically before the light around her grew dim and she felt an ethereal tugging pull her away from the scene._

* * *

"Nora. Nora! Wake up, dammit." Nick's voice was over her and she felt his metal hand gently shaking her shoulder.

She returned to consciousness abruptly and gasped and then began panting. She was chilled, but her skin was covered in a sheen of sweat and her face felt flushed. Then the remnants of her nightmare washed over her like an uncomfortably cold shower.

"Wh-what happened?" She coughed out. Her throat was dry and her hair was damp.

"I dunno, Doll. I was going to ask you the same question." Nick replied. "You just started thrashing about and sobbing. You kept saying 'No' over and over again."

She looked around and saw that she was still in the Red Rocket station. She wasn't back at Sanctuary with Nick, and more importantly, Nick was still alive. Nora got to her feet and slipped on her boots. She needed fresh air and a cigarette.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Nick asked.

"No. I just need to get my head straight." She replied, her voice shaking. Nick noticed her panic and was at a loss for words. He knew what to say to the distraught widower or the spurned husband, but he had no words to help Nora right now and it hurt him.

"Nick, can I bum a smoke from you? I — I just need to get out of here for a bit. I'm feeling a little claustrophobic."

He widened his eyes at her request but handed her his crumpled, almost empty pack. She pulled one out and held it between her fingers. The movement felt instinctual and practiced. Her lungs craved that rush of nicotine and she bent over to light the cigarette on the glowing ashes of their fire.

"I'll be outside. I wont go far." She replied and pushed the metal countertop away from the door just enough for her to slip through it.

Nick wanted to go after her. He wanted to offer a comforting hand; hell he'd give her all of the cigarettes in the world if that would make this experience of chasing after her son easier. Yet, something told him to stay behind. Call it instinct or intuition, but he was usually never wrong when he listened to it.

Nora returned a half an hour later. Her eyes were red and bloodshot from the acrid smoke but also from the tears that he saw were still wet on her face. She crawled back under the blankets and wrapped them around her body like a cocoon. Yet, as hard as she tried, sleep didn't come.

"I didn't know you smoked." Nick replied with a wry smile trying to ease the tension. "Ya got any other habits that I should know about?"

"I stopped smoking when I got pregnant with Shaun. But now, I don't see a reason not to." She replied darkly.

Nate encouraged her to kick the addiction permanently after Shaun was born. She tried, God she tried, but a combination of postpartum depression and the anxiety about trying to finish her degree after quitting one semester shy of graduation was often too much for her. Nate never rebuked her when he found the occasional pack laying in their dresser drawer or hidden away in a flower pot whose plant was dying. He would quietly toss the packs in the garbage as a silent, gentle reminder that Nora was better than her faults.

"Nora …" Nick began, unsure about what he was going to say. He could hear her gentle sobs even though her face was obscured with the blankets.

She sighed and turned her back to him, "I'm going to try and get some more sleep. Wake me when it's time to leave, okay?"

She slept fitfully and tossed and turned beneath the old blankets but at least she didn't dream.

* * *

The duo's trip back to the city took a better part of the morning. As they walked, Nora couldn't get the dream out of her head. She kept casting furtive glances back towards Nick almost if to check that he was still behind her. Nick's dim, vacant eyes haunted her mind and she hugged herself.

"You okay, doll?" He asked gently, stopping them. "You haven't really said much all day. You keep acting like I'm gonna run off on you and leave you here all alone."

"I'm fine, Nick." She replied automatically. Her voice was hollow but she didn't even try to conceal her lie.

"No you're not, Nora." Nick replied. "You dreamt something last night and it scared the shit outta you. I'm usually good at keeping my nose outta other people's personal affairs when it doesn't pertain to the case I'm working, but I think we've gone a little past that now."

Nora looked at him dolefully. "I can't stop thinking about what you said last night. About this Brotherhood of Steel."

"Is that all?" Nick sighed, "I'm sorry that I even brought it up. Don't worry about them. I still wont be chummy with them, but you're a free woman to do what you want. Just don't take me with you if you decide to explore their blimp."

Nora ignored Nick's flippant comment. "My husband —" No, Nora needed to get use to talking about Nate in the past tense. "My _late_ -husband was part of the Pre-War military. When you told me about this Brotherhood of Steel, I couldn't help but wonder if he would've joined them instead if he was alive instead of me. And when you talked about their inherent hatred of ghouls and synths, I dreamt last night that my husband killed you. He was one of them, and he murdered you."

Nora mumbled and felt ashamed. Her dream sounded childish. Nick's expression was neutral which made everything worse. She expected him to roll his eyes or even laugh in her face, but he didn't. He believed her which validated what he said the night before; the Brotherhood may not be dangerous to her, but they would definitely react violently if they met an "abomination."

Nick gently took her hand in his. His fedora casted a harsh shadow across his face which made his eyes look like two lanterns in the night. "Doll, you don't have to worry about me. I didn't survive this long without learning to be cautious. Plus, with you watching my back I doubt they would see me as a threat once you became my private defense attorney."

He relished in her smile and how it illuminated her face and washed away her stress and sorrows. "I'll have you know, Mister Valentine, that you'd be my first client."

"So does the defense agree with the charge that this Nick Valentine is an abomination?" Nick asked seriously.

"Absolutely not." Nora replied, brushing a comforting caress over his own hand. "Nick Valentine is the best detective in the Commonwealth, and if I may be so bold, dare I say a pretty great man, too."

Nick snorted and released her hand. "That may be too bold, counselor"

"No. It's not." She replied and began walking across the bridge and unholstered her gun. "His only crime is that he can't see this yet."

That got Nick to roll his eyes. He followed after Nora and brought out his own gun when he saw a raider perched on top of the wooden wall that was blocking the other end of the bridge. However, he could feel Nora's look of smug satisfaction when one of the raiders yelled "Hold your fire! It's Nick!"

"The defense rests it's case, your honor." Nora replied brightly as she skipped ahead past Nick. The Great Synth Detective and a group of raiders. She couldn't wait to hear the story behind this uneasy alliance.

* * *

When Nick and Nora opened the small, grey door that led to Goodneighbor Nora froze in shock at what had become of Scollay Square. The town was considered a historic landmark when Nora worked at City Hall. The buildings were made out of stone and masonry compared to the normal materials of concrete, woods, and synthetic polymer that most of developed Boston used in 2077. She remembered going on field trips with her Grammar School to learn about old war figures during some long-past battle called the Revolution.

The Old State House was impressive by its own right. With it being the oldest standing building in Boston, the Historical Preservation Society refused to allow that building — or any of the surrounding buildings — to be torn down when contractors wanted to redevelop the area.

By some miracle, most of the buildings around the Old State House were in decent shape. Kerosene lamps glowed in some of the windows and a faded vintage American flag hung below the whitewashed banister on the second floor of the State House.

"Hey, if you're gonna be walking around my city then you gotta pay the taxes." A bald man with a harsh voice said. Nora snapped out of her daydream and glanced at the vagabond who was brandishing a large hunting knife and used it to pick dirt out from underneath his fingernails.

Then the man eyed Nick. "Well, well it's the detective. Tracking down another wayward husband to his mistress?"

"Why, did someone stand you up." Nick shot back effortlessly. Nora smirked at Nick's bravado.

"You got a lotta nerve to talk to the new mayor of this town like that."

Nora clenched her jaw and jutted out her chin defiantly. Although the town looked as though it hadn't changed, unfortunately so did it's inhabitants. Scollay Square was always known for its colorful and illicit residents.

"Bullshit, you don't look like the mayoral type." Nora replied.

"Yeah, bud. We know a stick up when we see one." Nick replied coldly and brushed back his trenchcoat to reveal his gun holster."

"You threatenin' me?" The man hissed.

"Are you both ugly and stupid?" Nora spat venomously, "Get outta our faces or there are going to be problems."

Nora also reached for her holster, but she didn't get a chance to pull out the gun before another voice interjected.

"Woah, woah, woah. Time out. Nick Valentine makes a rare visit to town, and you're hassling his friend here with that extortion crap?"

Nora gaped at the imposing figure who walked out from the darken alleyway. He was tall, slim, and wore a black tricorn hat and a brilliant red coat. He had a sure way about him and sauntered up to the bald crook. Once he stepped into the sunlight, Nora could see that the man's skin was red and mottled. His nose was missing and his black eyes were were without irises.

"Good to see you again, Nick." The ghoul said and gave Nick a polite but friendly nod.

"Hancock." Nick replied. His tone was neutral and even.

"So Finn, you posing as me again to these nice people? I think you're confused about who's in charge here." The ghoul's voice was low and deadly.

"Fuck you, you aint one of us, Hancock." Finn bit back.

"Aw c'mon. No love for your mayor? Let these people go." Hancock's voice was rough and low. His black eyes were hard and bore into Finn.

"You're soft Hancock. You keep letting outsiders like these assholes" — he gestured at Nora and Nick — "walk all over us, and one day there'll be a new mayor."

Hancock pretended to be hurt by the threat. He sauntered up to the thug and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. At first, Finn look confused and then his eyes widened in fear and shock. A glint of silver was seen coming from Hancock's other hand. The ghoul stabbed him twice in the stomach and pushed his body to the ground. The cobblestone street darkened red with the man's blood.

"Now why'd you have to go and say that, huh? You're breaking my fuckin' heart over here." Hancock replied to the body and kicked the man so he splayed face up and put his knife back in his pocket.

"Hey, you alright there, sister?" Nora felt uncomfortable under the ghoul's gaze. So Nora ignored him and swallowed thickly, yet she couldn't peel her eyes from Finn's body.

"That's a hell of a welcome, Hancock." Nick grumbled and lit a cigarette. Nora wondered if his smoking habit was more of a nervous tick than an actual addiction.

"Anything for you and your new dick-in-training." He replied laughing. He didn't seem phased by the murder he had just committed. He walked over the man's body as though he was stepping over a puddle.

"Now don't let this incident taint your view of our little community." Hancock continued, "Goodneighbor is a town that's 'of the people, for the people', you feel me? Everyone is welcome."

"Everyone except the guy you just killed." Nora remarked.

Hancock laughed, much to Nora's surprise. She meant that to be taken as an insult. He put a mottled, ruined hand on her shoulder "I can tell I'm gonna like you already. Just consider this town your home away from home."

"I'm not the type to settle down, but thanks." She replied cooly and shrugged Hancock's hand off her shoulder.

"Ooh, Nicky. Where did you pick this one up?" Hancock asked, shooting him a wink.

"It's nothing like that, Hancock." Nick replied and began guiding Nora towards the alleyway that Hancock had come from; much to Nora's chagrin, Hancock began following behind them. "We're here to see Dr. Amari.

"Why is a synth detective messing around with the Memory Den? You know more about this city than anyone. Don't tell me that your programming is finally in need of an update."

"It's not for me, Hancock. It's part of our case. Nora, here, is looking for her son."

"A son, huh? What's his name?"

Nora ignored the ghoul and took the lead down the alleyway. She didn't owe him anything, much less sharing personal information about her son. He was no better than the thug he stabbed in the street, and Nora wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of holding sensitive information over her.

"Hey, sister. I ain't use to being ignored." Hancock's fingers barely ghosted over the fabric of her blue vault jumpsuit before something in Nora snapped. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep in the rundown, small Red Rocket station, or the anxiety still running through her veins from their trek over to this slum, but Nora wheeled around and knocked his hand away.

"Unless I give you permission to touch me, you keep your fucking hands to yourself, _ya feel me_." Her eyes blazed like fire. She had come too far; she nearly died while trying to kill the asshole who murdered her husband. If this mayor wanted to show off his power with violence, then she was going to show him just how violent she could be.

Hancock had the good sense to step back and raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, sister. I feel you."

"Good."

Thankfully the Memory Den wasn't hard to find. The building was an old cinema theater and it's neon sign offered bright promises about reliving one's memories in comfort and style.

"Well Hancock, thanks for the escort but I think we can take it from here." Nick replied.

"It's not a problem. After you're done with Dr. Amari, why don't you come by my office. I have a little speech to give, but after that I think a tour of the city may help rectify the bad first impression that I've made." Hancock looked hopeful and tried to make eye contact with Nora.

She gave him a hard look back and opened the door to the Memory Den.

"So, I guess that's a 'no' then?" He called after her as they left him standing in the street.

Nick and Nora passed by the ticket booths and Nick guided her over to a small alcove.

"Look, I know it's been a long couple of days but Hancock does mean well, even if he has a funny way of showing it." Nick wasn't chastising her but she still felt like she was a kid who was being scolded for being rude.

"I don't like him." She replied. "He's pompous and arrogant. He reminds me of the prosecuting attorney who would slap my ass and call me 'toots' when I was job shadowing down at City Hall."

Nick opened his mouth to protest but then closed it immediately. Hancock was a Casanova but he was always respectful of women's boundaries. However, Nora already made up her mind. If she was anything like Jenny was, once her mind was made up it would take an act of God to change it.

"Look, I knew him since he was a kid. He's good people. He's just rough around the edges."

"Wait, you knew him as a kid? How does that work since he's a ghoul?"

Nora reasoned that Pre-War Nick could've known young Hancock and that Hancock's unfortunate appearance was the result of slowly soaking up radiation from the nuclear fallout.

"He hasn't been a ghoul for very long." Nick replied and snuffed his cigarette butt out in a discarded ashtray. "One day I walk into Goodneighbor on a case and he shows up looking like a ghoul. He was from Diamond City originally, but he and his brother had a falling out and he left with some of his friends."

Nick shrugged his shoulders as though suddenly turning into a ghoul was a routine occurrence in the wasteland.

"So Hancock isn't Pre-War like us?" Nora replied. She was disappointed. Having someone else who knew what she was going through — what with being a 'woman out of time' — would make her new life here easier. Perhaps she would've given Hancock a second chance.

"No, Hancock's parents were rich ned-do-wells of the Diamond City upper stands. They both were suspiciously murdered when they were traveling through the Boston ruins. The Diamond City guards chalked their deaths up to a group of ghoul mobsters who were holed up in a vacant apartment complex, but the evidence pointed to something else."

"What was it?" She replied as she followed Nick into the main lobby of the old theater building.

Nick shrugged, "I don't know. It's a cold case. The Mayor wont let me near the file, although I offered to help pro-bono, so the truth about Hancock's parents remains a mystery.

Their conversation stopped when they saw a woman in a floor length red dress lounging on a overstuffed chaise. Human-sized pods were lined up along both sides of the room and their long, thick power chords were plugged into two generators that here humming quietly off in the corner. There were four pods lined up and two were occupied with individuals. Nora saw that one was watching a first person view of a rollercoaster ride while the other was simply walking through a pleasant-looking suburb full of white washed houses that all looked remarkably similar.

"Well, well. Nick Valentine. I haven't seen you in here in years." The woman's voice was thick and seductive.

"Irma." Nick greeted her politely, "We're here to see Dr. Amari. We found some tech that we need her help decoding."

Irma pouted, "So this isn't just a social call? Oh, fine. She's in her office. It's through the side door and up the stairs."

"Thanks." Nick replied and tipped his hat as he left.

Nora eyed up Irma suspiciously but she flashed a polite if strained smile. "Is this your first time in the Memory Den, huh? If so, the first ride is on me."

The woman winked and Nora's neck felt warm from embarrassment. She followed Nick down a flight of wooden stairs.

"Don't worry about Irma." Nick whispered. "She's a flirt, but she …"

"Means well. I got it." Nora bit out curtly.

Nick opened the door to the basement room and a sterile white light illuminated the hallway. Several large computers and medical equipment beeped and trilled quietly. A hospital bed was tucked away into the corner and an assortment of medical tools and mechanical equipment cluttered the countertops. A woman, who looked no older than forty, sat at a computer terminal entering data. Her dark glasses occasionally fell to the tip of her nose and she hastily pushed them back up with a small, frustrated huff. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight bun and her face was shrewd and intelligent.

"Ah, Nicholas welcome." She greeted and then looked at Nora. "And you are?"

"I'm Nora." She replied.

"Unfortunately, this isn't a social call. We came across this piece of tech that I'd like you to look at." Nick replied. He passed her the blood stained handkerchief with the implant wrapped up in it.

"We found this implant attached to a man named Kellogg. We need to access the memories embedded in this device. It's urgent for my client here to uncover the truth about where he took her son."

"Are you mad?" She exclaimed. "Let's forget about the fact that you're asking me to defile a corpse, but do you not realize that implants like these are memory simulators and require a living brain to function?"

"Look, I know it sounds crazy," Nora replied tersely, "but my son was kidnapped by that man. He refused to tell us where he brought my son, but we think the memories on this device hold some clues."

"Dr. Amari, you've performed miracles before." Nick said. "This dead brain had inside knowledge of the Institute. The biggest scientific secret of the Commonwealth. You need this and so do we."

The doctor's screwed eyes appraised the pair in front of her while she deliberated. Nora shifted uncomfortably while Nick's fingers twitched in want of a cigarette.

"Fine. I can't make any promises that this will work, but I can take a look at it."

Dr. Amari brought the handkerchief over to two pods that were sitting idle in the corner. When she unwrapped the device she gasped in awe. "Why this isn't a brain at all! This device is … no … it can't be."

Nick's yellow eyes widened in awe as the pieces to the puzzle were beginning to fall in place together. "Those circuits look familiar. Why didn't I notice this before?"

"Yes, this device is shaped like the hippocampus and this part here is a neurotransmitter."

Dr. Amari and Nick peered closer at the device and looked like two scientists in the midst of a breakthrough.

"Would you please translate this into plain English for those of us who slept through our BIO 101 class?" Nora grumbled.

"This piece of technology is remarkably similar to the cerebral processors that all Gen-3 synths have. Normally this type of implant would regulate long-term memory, but because it attaches to the hippocampus, the device can communicate to the nervous system to enhance intelligence, response to external stimuli, and regulate emotion."

"Do you think it would work on an older model synth?" Nick asked.

"No." Nora snapped. "I'm not going to pretend that I understood any of that scientific babble, but you are not hooking this implant into your brain. This was once attached to a sociopathic murderer! What if it does something to you?"

"Doll, I appreciate the concern, but we don't have another option."

"Nicholas," Dr. Amari replied, "Nora's concerns are reasonable. You'd be taking on a tremendous amount of risk. We're talking about wiring something into your brain. We don't know what it could do to you or if you'd ever make it out of the memory with your all of your faculties in tact."

"Don't worry about me. It's my brain, so I say we do it." Nick replied.

"Nora, I'd need you to act as a link to help anchor the memories that may be stored on this device. We would use your mind and Nick's abilities to process the encryptions on the device to access the memories that are locked away."

Nora nodded but still felt on edge. "Would there be any risk to me?"

"Minimal if any." Dr. Amari replied, "We would use your memory as a bridge to connect your neuro-pathways to Kellogg's. Nick would be the conduit. He will be able to see and experience what you can, but to him it will be like he's the narrator of Kellogg's mind."

"Then let's do it I guess." Nora still felt unsure. She hoped that this seemingly fruitless quest would get her one step closer to finding Shaun.

"Alright. Nicholas, just sit down in this pod here, and Nora please sit in the pod to his left and we will get started."

Nora couldn't look at Nick. She would never forgive herself if this entire experiment failed. She crawled into the pod and stifled the panic that arose from feeling claustrophobic.

"It's gonna be okay, Doll." She heard Nick reply. His voice sounded so distant. "Hey, if I start cackling like an old grizzled mercenary, just put me out of my misery okay?"

Nora was thankful that Nick couldn't see her tears. After the last 24 hours together, she knew that he couldn't know that his words were more damaging than he meant them to be.

"Alright, I need you to keep talking to me Nicholas. Any slight change in your cognitive functions could be dire."

Nora couldn't hear rest of the discussion between them. The pod door to the memory lounger swung down and locked her in place. Suddenly, she felt the bitter chill of the Vault's cryo chamber and the suffocating feeling of being trapped for another 200 years. She began panting and hyperventilating until Dr. Amari's voice came over the intercom.

"Nora. Nora! You need to breathe. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. You are having a panic attack. I cannot get a firm reading of your memories when you are in a panicked state."

She tried to do as she was told and focused on her breathing. With a few cleansing breaths, the air around her felt less frigid and the interior of the pod seemed less constraining.

"Good! Your heart rate has returned to normal parameters." Dr. Amari replied. "Now, I need to find an intact memory…ah, here we go."

Dr. Amari's voice faded out and the memory lounger phased away and she found herself in a small, rundown bedroom with a little boy sitting on top of the bed while the mother, a tired and warn-looking woman, stood by the window smoking a cigarette.

Nora couldn't speak or move, but she did hear a gruff male voice entered her thoughts.

"I was such an idiot back then. What did I know about how the world worked?" The man's voice sounded like Kellogg's but held a cadence and smokiness that was quintessentially Nick's voice. It was as though they had become one person.

"I told myself I wanted to find somewhere out from under the thumb of the NCR and all their rules. But really, I was running from the guilt of not protecting her from Dad. Doesn't matter now, though. She got away from him in the end, but I was long on my way into New Reno before I got word that the bastard died from his vices."

Then the scene dissolved and another one materialized like a reflection in a murky pond. The next few memories depicted various moments in Kellogg's life. Nora knew that she should feel sympathy for his troubled past. He did seem like he wanted to be an honorable man, but living in the ruined and war-torn West forced him to become ruthless to survive. Yet, she couldn't muster enough sympathy, especially when his memories brought her to the worst moment of her life.

Watching her husband's murder from Kellogg's perspective was worse than any nightmare she could ever dream up. She saw her past self pounding uselessly on the pod door. She watched as her husband and his everlasting courage and duty to their family brought about his tragic downfall. She could see the cold shrewdness in Kellogg's eyes as he pulled the trigger. He felt no remorse for killing her husband which helped her quench the small amount of guilt she had for killing him at Fort Hagen.

"I'm sorry, Nora." Dr. Amari's voice drowned out her son's shrill crying as the two scientists carried her baby out of the cryochamber. "I didn't mean for you to see that. I'm sorry that you had to relive that horrible experience."

The scene before her phased out once more and it brought her to the small metal house in Diamond City. "This is the last intact memory." Dr. Amari said. "After this, I'll pull you both out of it. Both of your vitals look good. Just hang in there."

A young boy sat on the floor reading a magazine while Kellogg was sitting in the corner smoking a cigar. "This whole setup in Diamond City was part of some elaborate plan of the old man's. Seems obvious now that we were bait for our friend in the Vault. The old man said that everything would happen perfectly and on time. Hmph, that's just how the old man works. Everything is left up to time. I wonder if he outsmarted me in the end. Maybe I was another loose end that he tied up."

Nora thought she detected bitterness or remorse in Kellogg's voice. Who was this old man? She deduced that he must lead the Institute since he was able to get a hardened mercenary like Kellogg to fall in line.

Then a dark-skinned man dressed in dark leather armor materialized out of thin air. His silver sunglasses obscured his eyes and he moved with a robotic precision and stiffness.

"Ah, I'm surprised to see you here. Are you here to tell me that my vacation is over?" Kellogg replied sounding bored. "I gotta admit, I kind of like this domestic life."

Then Kellogg's thoughts interrupted, "Many of the new models of synths could easily pass as human. Hell, some even did. But Coursers were a rare breed of synth who were trained to be the most efficient killing machines out there."

"Your mission has been updated Kellogg. We need you to track down a scientist named Brian Virgil. We suspect that he is holed up somewhere in the Glowing Sea. You need to eliminate him. He escaped the Institute with some very sensitive information that Father would hate to see fall into the wrong hands."

"Fine." Kellogg replied and pocketed the information. "So I guess that you're taking the kid back."

"Are you taking me back home to my Father?" The young boy asked cheerfully. He looked to be about 8 or 9 years old. His eyes were blue and his sandy brown hair swept across his forehead. Nora knew that he was her son.

"Come, Shaun. Stand next to me and don't move." The courser ordered.

"Goodbye Mr. Kellogg. I had a great time hanging out with you!" The boy said and gave him a wave goodbye. Kellogg nodded in acknowledgement and snuffed out his cigar.

"X6-88, ready to relay with Shaun." The courser commanded and then they both disappeared in a flash of blue light.

The scene dimmed and then materialized in front of her. Nora felt her back against the lounger and a whoosh of fresh air tousled her hair when the lid rose. Nora got out of the pod unsteadily and Dr. Amari guided her over to a nearby chair and handed her a can of water.

Nora's head swam with all of the new information. She tried to remember it all but Kellogg's memories were quickly trickling away.

"I saw Shaun." She croaked out almost as if she was trying to confirm it. Maybe if she said it aloud, then she could retain that part of Kellogg's memory a little longer.. "He's not my baby anymore."

"No," Dr. Amari agreed, "but now we know how to find him. Many people have searched through the Commonwealth for an entrance into the Institute, and all people who searched came up with nothing. Now we know that the Institute doesn't have an entrance at all. They use teleportation to relay in and out of the Institute! It's amazing. Ingenious!"

Nora groaned, "Doctor, could you reign in the excitement until Nick and I leave? I'm glad that this is a scientific breakthrough for you, but I'm still no closer to finding Shaun. In fact, without a way to teleport into the Institute, I'm afraid that he'll be gone forever."

"You're right, Nora. At least we know where you can look next." She said and consulted her computer terminal. She keyed in something and the monitor trilled, "According to the data that I could lift from Kellogg's memories, this Brian Virgil was once a premier scientist in the Bioscience division. He was working on several classified projects when he unexpectedly went mad and destroyed all of his work before he relayed to The Glowing Sea. If you can find him, then perhaps you can find a way to relay into the Institute."

"It's dangerous." Nick's replied as he stepped into the room. He was fixing his tie, but otherwise looked no worse for wear. "The Glowing Sea will kill any human who spends an hour out there unprocteded, and if you manage to block the radiation somehow, then the terrible creatures living there will finish you off instead."

"Nick is right. You can't be hasty about this Nora." She replied.

"Hasty? Hasty!" Nora couldn't contain her anger and pain. "My son is a child now. I missed his first words, I missed his first steps, and I never got to teach him how to read. If I slow down even more, my son could be grown by the time I get to him!"

She brushed away hot tears and rose so suddenly that she overturned the chair. Nick and Dr. Amari looked at her warily.

Nick approached her slowly and with his arm outstretched as though he was calming a wild animal. "Nora. I will do anything to help you find Shaun. Hell, I'll even go out into The Glowing Sea with you. But we don't have to do it tonight. We need to rest, regroup, and make a plan of action. Just going into the unknown with our guns blazin' wont end well for either of us."

"Nicholas is right." Dr. Amari said. I insist that you both spend the night in Goodneighbor before making any more decisions. The Hotel Rexford is around the corner. It isn't much, but a warm bed and some food might do you good.

Nora sighed, "Fine. Nick, are you ready to go?"

Nick looked at her and a blank look crossed his face. His eyes were briefly unfocused and then his synthetic optics zoned in on Nora. A chill ran down her spine.

"I hope you got what you were looking for inside my head." A hard and gruff voice met her ears. She looked at Dr. Amari in alarm, but the woman had a similar expression which meant that she wasn't expecting this.

Kellogg's voice growled, "I should've killed you when I had the chance."

Nick's hand reached for his holster and Nora instinctively unholstered her own pistol and backed away from Nick.

"Nick? What the fuck?"

Then, as suddenly as it had happened, Nick jerked like he had awoken from a daydream. "Huh? What? What happened?"

Nick saw Nora's gun trained on him, felt the weight of his own gun in his hand, and noticed that Dr. Amari was frantically typing away on the terminal nearby. "Nora…Doll. What happened?"

"You — You're voice." Her voice cracked with fear. "Kellogg was speaking through you. He said he should've killed me when he had the chance."

Nick looked at Dr. Amari but her tense shoulders and frantic glancing at him and then back at the terminal told him that Nora was telling the truth.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Nora." Nick replied and raised his hands as though he was a perp being gunned down and slowly moved out of Nora's line of fire.

"Aha!" Dr. Amari exclaimed and began talking quickly. "What Nicholas just experienced was some mnemonic impressions that were left over when I unplugged the chip from his brain. I promise that they're harmless. They are just echoes of Kellogg's memory."

Nora didn't seem convinced. His voice had came through Nick as though the man had taken possession over him. His eyes, Nick's normally kind eyes, were cruel and full of hate.

Nora looked like she was ready to bolt, and Nick wondered if the Brotherhood was right about him being an abomination after all.

"How 'bout you wait for me outside." Nick suggested. He wanted to hold her but kept his distance.

"Actually Nora, why don't you get yourself a room at the hotel." Dr. Amari suggested. "My examination will take a while, but I can assure you that Nicholas will find you once he's been given a clean bill of health."

Nora nodded mutely. She felt like Dr. Amari just asked her to leave without a part of herself. Although she and Nick had only traveled together for a couple of days, Nora didn't like the idea of wandering around Goodneighbor without him.

"Don't worry, Doll." Nick replied with a brave grin. "I'll come find you when I'm done. Get some rest. I know you haven't slept in almost two days."

Nora nodded and replied with a cursory, "Yep, sounds good" and left Nick behind. She could't look back. Kellogg was dead; she killed him, yet Nora couldn't help but feel like she was still in danger.

The sun was beginning to set as stumbled into Goodneighbor's alleyway. The Hotel Rexford's red neon sign matched the ruby and cerulean hues in the sky. But as tired as she was, Nora didn't want to be alone. She retraced her steps back to the exit of Goodneighbor and got lost in the crowd that was assembling in the town square. A few men leered at her lecherously, but she kept her hand on her pistol as a warning.

Then all at once, the crowd fell into a hush; Nora looked around and saw the spectacle that had drawn everyone's attention. Hancock emerged onto the whitewashed balcony and grinned at the populace. His black eyes seemed to bore into Nora's and his gaze was unwavering. At first, Nora thought that he was trying to intimidate her but then he did something unexpected.

He winked.

That's when Nora realized that Mayor John Hancock was no more a mayor than Nora was a lawyer. Both talked a good game when they wanted, but both of them had no credentials to back up their claims. Nora smirked and perched on a wooden barrel full of hard liquor. For the first time that day, Mayor Hancock had her full attention.


	10. Memories and Nightmares

**A.N. This was a fun chapter to write. Other users have said this before, but it bares repeating: Bethesda dropped the ball by treating Kellogg's mnemonic as a one-time side effect. Nick is a great character and having this inner battle would've added more conflict to his already conflicted character.**

Chapter 10: Memories and Nightmares

"Alright, breathe deeply Nicholas. I am going to scan your brain to try and trace Kellogg's neurological synapses as they misfire with yours."

Nick gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. The lead nodes attached to either temple seemed to burn through his skin as they interacted with his mind. He never cared to learn too much about how his synthetic brain worked compared to a human's; the dreams, fears, and memories of the Pre-War Nick Valentine were jarring enough to deal with.

Yet, his first encounter with Dr. Amari was a miracle. In one of his more painful bouts of "remembering," as he called it, Dr. Amari found him huddled in the corner and twitching like a chem tweaker. In the past, the memories would eventually fade and Nick would pick himself up from an alleyway or saunter back down the metal stairs of his small office and resume business as usual. He just thought it was a condition that he'd have to deal with. That was until a former scientist who sought "greener pastures," as she called it, worked with him on how to separate the memories of the Nick Valentine the human cop and Nick Valentine the Great Synth Detective.

"Dammit," Dr. Amari cursed, "The connection isn't stabilized. I wonder if this is because the brain augmentation device was a prototype …"

"Doc, can you think to yourself. I'm not in fighting shape for a discussion about technology with you." Nick growled as another bolt of pain flashed behind his eyes. Not that he hand anything to compare, but Nick wondered if this was what lobotomies felt like.

"Alright Nick, brace yourself," Dr. Amari replied.

Nick was plunged into total darkness and felt a stifling pressure in the base of his neck. He wanted to talk but his voice came out slurred and slow.

 _You worked so hard to get into my mind, it seems a shame for me to leave you so soon._ A rough voice boomed from the darkness.

"Kellogg!" He growled, his voice was clearer now but still thick from the pain. "Get outta my head."

 _No. I kinda like it in here. So much hatred. So much self-loathing._

Kellogg materialized in front of his mind with the same satisfied expression that he wore when he and Nora made it to his hideout in the basement of Fort Hagen. He thought he was going to win this.

 _Always feeling inadequate to the memory of Nick Valentine, always feeling like you'll never be enough, that you're just a shadow of the man that once lived — that you'll never satisfy … her._ Kellogg's malicious grin spread to a full fledged smile. _Oh, I know about Nora. You loved her ever since you took her case."_

Kellogg's face was twisted into a smug grin.

 _"_ Get the fuck outta my head." Nick growled.

 _No Valentine, you get out of mine._ Kellogg responded and punched him across the jaw.

Pain bloomed across his cheekbone and Nick's head reeled back from the blow. Kellogg's cruel laugh cut out from the darkness; his body had disappeared but his voice was omnipresent.

 _Do you think you can defeat me?_ He taunted. _You may have killed my physical body, but who says that I can't invade your mind like Nick Valentine has? Killing Nora in your body would be too easy that it almost takes the fun out of this … almost._

"Nicholas!" A voice called out from the darkness. Before Nick could respond, he felt a sharp tug against his temples and found himself back in Dr. Amari's lab. The doctor looked wary and almost guilty, and he found out why when he tried to retrieve his hat from the floor. She had tied his hands to the armrests of the chair with surgical tubing.

"You reacted violently to the treatment. You punched yourself and I had to restrain you." She explained calmly. Black coolant dripped from his lip and fell onto his trousers and shirt like angry ink stains.

"That bastard has control over my body." Nick bit out. Even when conscious, he felt a sick compulsion to grab his gun and unload the entire clip into Dr. Amari's body.

Nick roared, struggled against his bonds, and shook his head vigorously as though shaking his head hard would be enough to dislodge Kellogg from his brain. "Doc, you gotta do something. That bastard is fuckin' with my thoughts."

He squeezed his eyes tight against Kellogg's murderous intrusive thoughts and heard Dr. Amari's voice off in the distance say, "I'm going to put you under one more time and see if I can create a feedback loop by amplifying your memories to counteract Kellogg."

Nick gritted his teeth as a pin point of light broke through the dark curtain blanketing his mind. The pin point grew larger and larger until a kaleidoscope of scenes danced in front of him like home movies.

 _Aw, isn't that sweet?_ Kellogg's voice chided. _I didn't know you had so many memories from that cop you're impersonating. The Old Man would be impressed at how many of these memories transferred._

Nick looked around frantically and noticed that more than two-thirds of the moving pictures displayed were of Pre-War Nick's life. He saw a blue-eyed kid dressed in a blue stripped t-shirt and khaki shorts pedaling his bicycle and throwing newspapers against people's doorways. The headline of the newspaper read: WEST TEC WORKING WITH U.S. GOVERNMENT ON VACCINE FOR NEW PLAGUE.

Another memory was of a clean-cut, clean shaven young man who couldn't be any more than twenty-one years old shaking the police commissioner's hand as he recieved his police badge pinned to his chest. His smile was broad and he beamed out at the audience.

One other one was of a pretty, blond woman with a bright smile who brushed tears from her eyes as Nick — trembling fiercely — dropped down to one knee and presented a small box.

The memories from Pre-War Nick stretched along an invisible wall and continued on almost out of sight. Nick wanted to walk farther but his body was incapable of moving. To his right, different memories were playing; these memories held a slight grayish tinge and they were far less numerous than their human counterparts.

Nick recognized many of the memories and remembering them brought him a strange sense of comfort. Remembering parts of Pre-War Nick's life was always disconcerting because Nick felt like a voyeur on another person's private affairs. But these, these grey tinged, dingy memories were his and his alone. The first couple memories were incoherent flashes of images of ruined Boston and held very little in terms of familiarity: Nick surmised that he had just woken up in the trash heap outside of the CIT and was still having issues processing events.

The rest of his memories appeared, more or less, in chronological order. They slowly passed in front of him like credits at the end of a movie. There were scenes of him doing odd jobs in Diamond City and of him playing cards with a much younger Piper and Nat; another one had the occasional chase scene as he ran down a perp or tailed a wayward husband into the Third Rail.

" _Hmph, compared to Pre War Nick, your memories are kind of lame._ " Kellogg replied bored. Nick wished secretly wished that Kellogg would appear in front of him again because punching him square in the jaw was worth the pain Nick would receive in return. " _Oh wait, this one looks … titliating_."

The rest of Nick's memories flew forward until one of them stopped in front of his face. Nick knew the room well; the warn deck of cards that sat on the Overseer's desk reminded him of the thousands of Solitaire games that he played while he was imprisoned by Skinny Malone and his gang.

From the small window, he saw Nora bounding up the stairs with her pistol in hand. The small explosion from the barrel lit up her face with a warm glow. His metal hand pounded against the window to get her attention, and then seconds later she stepped through the unlocked door to finally meet him.

" _Getting saved by a woman, how pathetic._ " Kellogg remarked.

"I wouldn't get too high and mighty, bud." Nick growled. "That woman shot you in the head with your gun.

Nick couldn't look away from Nora's face. Her eyes expressed so much while her body language tried to express so little. To most, she looked like the hardened mercenary that Nick thought she was. She was strong, fit, and had good instincts with a gun. Her eyes, however, held all of her vulnerability and her pain. Nick wanted to kick himself for not noticing it earlier, perhaps he wouldn't have been so standoffish when they first met.

"Can you hang in there a little longer?" Dr. Amari's voice asked. Her voice was garbled as though she was shouting at him through a radiation storm. "I think I've pinpointed a memory of yours to help create the feedback."

His recent memories passed by a lot quicker: Nora's red, puffy eyes and tense body as she recounted her late husband's murder. Nick had never felt closer to anyone than at that moment. Her life story was torn right out of his unsolved cold case. The trauma of seeing someone gunned down in cold blood was enough to drive anyone mad, Nick, of all people, would know.

Nora's face was illuminated by the Dugout Inn's neon signs glowing in the background. Rain lightly fell and her hair lightly curled from the humidity. Nora's eyes nearly sparkled and her smile erased all of the pain that had marred her face. His hand gently brushed a stray strand of hair away from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. Her skin was so warm and it took all of the self control in him to pull away.

" _How fuckin' sentimental_." Kellogg choked out.

His voice was weaker and the pain in Nick's head was beginning to alleviate, but then Kellogg's voice took on a more deadly tone. "Y _ou can't force me out. I'm gonna haunt your thoughts until you go mad. I've lived far too long to die like this_!"

Nick cried out as another flash of white light drowned out everything. He was frozen in place as Kellogg's base in Ford Hagen materialized in front of him. Kellogg's face sneered as Nora was sprawled on the floor beneath him with blood dripping from her nose. He looked around frantically for his counterpart to come and save Nora, but nobody else was there.

"Nick, you need to play out this scene." Dr. Amari's voice said, her voice was the strongest that it had been. Nick reasoned that Kellogg's hold on him must be finally weakening.

Suddenly, he felt the weight of a weapon fill his hand. The large knife was serrated and was nearly six inches long.

Nick tried to move forward but his legs felt like jelly and the air around him pressed down as though it was trying to suffocate him. Nevertheless, he willed himself forward and grabbed Kellogg's shoulder with one hand and drove the knife into the bastard's back with the other. Kellogg's voice roared out in rage and a sharp pain erupted from the back of his own head. Nick felt himself fall backwards and felt himself roughly hit the ground.

Nick's eyes snapped open and he was back in Dr. Amari's lab. The chair he was tied to had tipped over onto the floor but he felt Dr. Amari's nimble hands untying the surgical tubing.

"Did it work Doc?" He asked in hesitation. If it didn't and that bastard was still in his brain then he was a walking weapon.

Dr. Amari helped him to his feet and led him over to a nearby cot. "Based off my tests and the data I've gathered, when you revisited his moment of death, the echoes from Kellogg's consciousness were finally put to rest. He shouldn't bother you any more."

"Thanks Doc, I owe you one." He replied. Yet, Nick still felt miserable. Part of it was being physically exhausted from Amari's experimentations but Nick was also worried. "Am I safe to be around Nora? She was pretty freaked out by what happened, and I don't blame her. I don't wanna hurt her on account of my screwy brain."

"You should be fine. Although, I don't recommend that you do any long distance traveling for a few days. Give yourself a break before you and Nora go traipsing off through the Commonwealth." Dr. Amari replied. "And if you feel any compulsions or experience flashes of memories that aren't your own, come back and see me."

Nick picked up his hat and pulled his coat around him. He didn't have a change of clothes with him — the other ones were still burnt from the explosion — but he figured that the coolant stains on his shirt would just make him more intimidating to the Goodneighbor riff-raff.

"Thanks again." he replied and tipped his at to Dr. Amari.

"Anytime Nicholas." She replied warmly. "And you take care of Nora. Being in love looks good on you — it looks human."

Nick clenched his jaw and nodded. He assumed that Dr. Amari saw the memories that he experienced, or heard Kellogg's taunts, but he also wondered if his feelings for Nora were that obvious. If they were, he reasoned, then he better start playing his cards closer to his chest. Who knows what people would think.

—-

For the first time that day, Mayor Hancock had her full attention.

Hancock addressed the crowd that had gathered below with an ease and a natural charisma of a politician. Yet, his sly grin and mischievous eyes set him apart from the self-aggrandizing politicians of Nora's time. He really did know his audience.

"Now, I know you are all doing your own thing. But I don't want anyone here to forget what matters. We freaks gotta stick together! And the best way to stick together is to keep an eye out for what drives us apart, you feel me?"

His eyes were alight with zeal and his subjects hung onto his every word. There were nods of affirmation from the crowd and some of the rowdier men in dirty business suits hooted and hollered until Hancock silenced them with a good natured wave of his hand.

"Yeah! You tell it like it is Hancock!" A voice cried out from the crowd.

He grinned, "Now, what out there in our big, friendly Commonwealth would want to drive us apart? What kind of twisted, un-neighborly boogeyman would want to hurt our peaceful community?"

"The Institute and their synths!" A man yelled out. The man was standing ten feet to her right and looked gaunt and rough. He hadn't had a proper shower in a while, but his face was hopeful.

"That's right! Who said that? Come up to my office later. You've earned yourself some Jet." Nora snorted and crossed her arms, unimpressed by the drug pushing Mayor. She watched Hancock, more out of curiosity than anything, and was surprised to see that he delivered this next bit directly to her.

"The Institute! They're the real enemy! Not the Raiders, not the Super Mutants, not even those tools over in Diamond City. Now, I want everyone to keep the Institute in mind. When someone starts acting funny, or when people are doing things they don't normally do. When family starts pushing you away for no reason. We all know who's behind that kind of shit. And the only way to stop it is to stick together. They can't control us if we are not afraid." He punctuated every last word and slapped his mottled hand on the whitewashed banister.

Hancock's black eyes locked with Nora's and she couldn't look away. His passion for his people burned as brightly as the red jacket he wore, and Nora briefly entertained the idea that perhaps she had the wrong impression of Hancock.

'Now who's scared of the Institute?" His booming voice broke through the silence like a battle cry spoken out on the eve of war.

"Not us!" The crowd yelled.

"And which town in the Commonwealth should the Institute not fuck with?" Hancock asked.

"Goodneighbor!"

"And who's in charge of Goodneighbor?"

"Hancock! Of the people, for the people!"

Hancock smirked, pleased with himself, and lounged against the white balcony as his citizens slowly dispersed from the town square.

Nora turned to leave, but an amazonian-looking woman with short, cropped blond hair and a scar across her face stopped her.

"The mayor requests an audience with you." She replied. Her voice was low, almost masculine, and her blue eyes were cold like ice.

"Is that so?" Nora replied curtly. "What if I don't want an audience with him?"

The woman shrugged. "Then don't go. This was a request. Hancock exerts his authority when he needs to, but he made it quite clear that this was a request, not an order."

It was nearly twilight now and several strands of white christmas lights flickered on automatically. After the stressful past couple of days, she didn't want to be alone right now, and she didn't know how long Nick would be with Dr. Amari … if he even felt well enough to join her at all tonight.

"Alright, lead on then." She replied with resignation.

Nora followed the woman, who she later learned was named Fahrenheit, into the Old State House and up the large staircase that led to the second floor.

"Wait here." Fahrenheit ordered and then knocked on the double doors which were a little more ornate than the basic rotting wood of the other smaller closets and bedrooms.

"You have a visitor, Hancock."

Nora couldn't hear his response, but Fahrenheit ushered her into the room and closed the door behind them.

The room was large; she realized that the room had once been part of a museum display as old display cases sat empty and broken along the walls. Towards the interior of the room, household furnishings were scattered about. A large bed with rumpled sheets was tucked up against the corner and was partially blocked by a moth eaten dressing partition.

Hancock was reclining on a tattered sofa and snuffed out his cigarette when Nora approached.

"Welcome to my humble abode. I hope you enjoyed the evening's festivities." He said warmly. "Have a seat — only if you want. I don't want you to feel like I'm ordering you around."

Nora scowled at the sarcasm but took a seat in an empty armchair. "You summoned me?" She replied tersely.

"No," He corrected, "I requested your presence. There's a difference, sister. I don't like throwing my mayoral weight around. That ain't my style. I thought we got off on the wrong foot earlier today, and I wanted to talk to you without your detective body guard making things complicated."

"It's hard to get off on the right foot when you stab one of your citizens in cold blood within five minutes of meeting a person." She replied cooly.

Hancock raised an eyebrow at her, appraising her, which made Nora shift uncomfortably. "You're not from around here, are you? Do you know what would've happened if you didn't cough up money to Finn? He would've done the same to you as I did to him."

"If you knew he was a murderer, then why not put him in jail? Why let him extort visitors?" Nora countered.

"If you haven't noticed, sister. Goodneighbor's citizens ain't exactly the law abiding type, ya feel me. If I start instituting law and order here like the kind they have over in Diamond City with their corrupt police force, then I'm no better than that lard-face Mayor McDonough. We have law and order here; it's just our brand of it is a little more trial-by-the-gun then you may be use to."

Nora shook her head in exasperation, "Why am I really here Hancock?"

The ghoul sat up on the couch and fumbled with a red canister from his pocket and took a hit from the inhaler. He exhaled like he was exhaling from a long drag off a cigarette and let the high hit him.

"Look, sister. You think whatever the fuck you want about me, but I know you're a person who needs help. If you're Nicky's client, then I thought I would offer my services too. I may not be as observant as that synth detective, but I've got connections. I can keep an eye out for your boy. I have informants and friends in most of the standing settlements from here to Abernathy Farm."

Nora didn't understand his game. What kind of person simply helps out a random stranger who walked into this town, let alone one who has been outwardly hostile to you since the moment you both met.

"There's nothing you can do to help me, Hancock."

"See, that's where you're wrong, sister." He replied. His completely black eyes bore into hers. "I may not be able to rescue your son from those Institute assholes, but I do know you have an upcoming trip planned to the Glowing Sea. You need someone who can survive in radiation-covered areas, and that just happens to be one of my specialties."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Nora replied cooly, "Nick is going with me."

"You know, as well as I do, that Nick ain't in any shape to escort you to The Glowing Sea. At least, not with those mnemonic impressions, or whatever the Doc called them, making him a danger to those around him."

"Wait, what?" Nora replied in shock, "How did you know that? Were you spying on us?"

Hancock shrugged, "I'm mayor. I need to know what goes on in my town."

Nora's anger flared again. "You're unbelievable. And why the hell would you want to help me? You don't even know me."

"I know that you're taking the fight to the Institute. I know that come Hell or high water, you will find your son. I, too, am looking for someone, and the trail just so happens to point to the Institute."

Nora's glowered suspiciously at the ghoul. "No offense, but what would the Institute want with a ghoul?"

Hancock glared back, and Nora hoped that she would be on the receiving end of that expression again. "Offense taken, but you're right, the Institute could give fuck all about me. However, those bastards have my brother. Now, he may be a pain in the ass and he's probably as entitled as he was when we were kids, but he's still family. I need to know what happened to him."

Nora's face softened. "I'm sorry about your brother, but I can't help you until I find my son. He is my first priority."

"I know that." Hancock agreed, "That's why I'm gonna make you a deal. You travel with me and let Nicky get fixed up with Dr. Amari here in my fine town, and as soon as I get a solid lead about my brother then you never have to see my face again."

"And how do you think Nick will handle being left here?" She replied.

Hancock shrugged. How Nicky handled the situation wasn't his problem. He knew the synth well enough that once he stopped brooding and let loose a little, he'd probably play some cards down in the Third Rail and make himself at home.

"That ain't my job to tell him, sister."

Nora sighed. The logic behind his argument was sinking in. Besides Nick, Hancock was the only other person she knew who could withstand the dangers in this Glowing Sea. Going alone wasn't an option, and she had to find her son. Nora was in between a rock and a hard place. "Fine, if I can get Nick to stay here, then I'll take you with me."

"It's a deal then, sister." Hancock extended his mottled hand for her to shake. Nora looked at it as though it was an alien tentacle. Nevertheless, she grabbed Hancock's hand and shook twice before letting go.

"Well, you should probably head over to the Rexford. Tell the front desk woman that I'm comping you a night. She's a real piece of work, so don't rile her up. You and Nicky are my guests, after all, but even my clout has its limits with the people here. And hey, I'll try to grease the wheels with Nicky if I can. He can be stubborn as a brahmin, but he'll come around in the end."

"Funny." Nora remarked wryly. "He said something similar about you. He said you that despite your pompousness and egotism, that you're 'good people.'"

"Nick called me pompous?" Hancock asked seriously. He looked slightly wounded.

"No, that was me editorializing, but he seems to trust you, so I guess I have to rely on his judge of character." Nora replied. "I just hope he's not wrong."

"Sunshine, when it comes to knowing a person's true colors, Nick Valentine is never wrong." Hancock replied seriously.

—

Nora awoke with a start when she heard the door to the room open and then shut quietly. She tried to peer in the darkness but could see nothing except a blurred, dark outline of a figure. She reacted on instinct and pointed her gun at the intruder.

"Who's there?"

A strike of the match briefly illuminated Nick's tired and drawn face, and the small ember glow from the tip of his lit cigarette momentarily washed his face with a soft light. His eyes seemed dim and unfocused and his voice sounded tired and anxious. "It's just me, Doll."

"Fuck." Nora cursed and lowered her gun. Nick noticed that she didn't drop it altogether, of course, he couldn't blame her. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you to come back so late."

"Yeah, Dr. Amari wasn't expecting to take it as long as it did. But … " Nick felt awkward and for a rare moment, he didn't know what to say. "… so, I'll go and occupy myself until morning."

"Well, are you going to be okay?" Nora urged. "What happened to your shirt? Is that blood?"

The black stain was no larger than a half dollar, but it called out to the world like an angry badge of honor. "That's my blood…well coolant, but still. It was just a minor facial injury, so I'll live.

When Nick replied, Nora noticed the bitterness behind his response. "Apparently my mind was more vulnerable than we thought, what with Pre-War Nick living up there permanently. Kellogg's memories and his thoughts eventually faded, but he fought like hell trying to stay with me. Self-preservation is the damnedest thing."

"So, was Kellogg … talking to you?" Nora tried to wrap her mind around how crazy all of this sounded. Hell, what she went through — walking through the memories of a dead person — seemed crazy enough for one day.

"I wouldn't call it talking." Nick bit out darkly, "Kellogg was insulting me. He could see into my thoughts just as easily as we could see into his." Nick rubbed his forehead and above his eyebrows like a cop would who was in the midst of interrogating a difficult criminal. "I'll just say that he wasn't impressed and he didn't mince words. That bastard's a real piece of work."

"But anyway," Nick replied before Nora could respond, "I'll just go occupy myself for a while. I'm sure Whitechapel Charlie has some yarns to spin since I was here last. Good night, Nora."

"Wait." She said suddenly and grabbed his arm gently. "Just wait, Nick."

He frowned and held her hand with the same care that one would treat fine china. "Nick, I'm sorry for acting the way I did. I wasn't expecting Kellogg's voice coming out of you to … mess with me as much as it did. I don't want you to think that I'm afraid of you."

"Are you afraid of me?" He asked quietly and hated himself for asking the question — mostly because he was afraid of her answer. He looked wounded and vulnerable; his fedora was tilted low and his eyes were nearly obscured by the brim. The detective persona that he had so carefully crafted from the ruins of stolen memories was the only thing he had left to remind him of his humanity. In the past, he had a lot less than even that. He remembered the fear and the mistrust that Diamond City's citizens once had for him. It took many years of repairing broken toilets and cleaning out dirty air filtration systems for the citizens to stop looking at him like he was going to go haywire at a moment's notice.

"No, Nick. I was more afraid that I did something that hurt you."

His eyes searched hers, but Nora didn't know what he was searching for. Did he think she was lying?

He cleared his throat, pulled his trench coat around him like it was a security blanket, and took another puff of his cigarette. "I should let you get some sleep." He said again, "I'm sure Hancock wont mind me using one of the old rooms in the State House to do some diagnostic scans."

"Nick." Nora replied quickly. "Stay here with me."

Nick's eyes widened in shock momentarily until he schooled his expression into something more neutral. "I can't, doll. Besides the bed here, there's no place for me and I ain't to keen on camping out on the floor here."

Nora huffed and threw open the blankets. For a detective, he sure could be dense sometimes. "Just lay down. We've been running around for the past couple of days. Do your diagnostic scans while I sleep then we both can depart back to Diamond City tomorrow."

"Nora … " Nick wanted to say that he didn't think it was a good idea. He didn't want to put her out. He didn't want her to get the wrong idea. Hell, he didn't want her to get the _right_ idea. The excuses flew to his brain as though they were bullets in an already loaded chamber. But the most damming part of it all was that Nick knew he was lying to himself.

Nick silently toed off his shoes and removed his trench coat and hung it over the metal footboard. He hung up his fedora on the bed post next to the lamp and tentatively crawled into bed next to her.

Nora scooted to the far wall to make room for her synth partner. The weight of his body next to her felt strangely comforting, and the whirl of his internal fans acted like white noise and she could feel sleep reclaiming her.

"Hey, Nora?" Nick asked tentatively, the smoke from his half spent cigarette wafted around his head like a halo.

"Hmmm?" She murmured halfway between wakefulness and sleep.

"Thanks."

Nick's voice cut into the room like a low rumble of thunder, but Nora didn't hear it. She was already deep into the most restful sleep she's had since waking in this new, strange world.

Nora awoke with the sun and rolled over to find Nick laying completely still next to her. His cigarette from last night was long extinguished, and his face looked almost peaceful. If it wasn't for the occasional trill or beeping that she could hear, Nora would've assumed that he was truly asleep.

The index finger on his left hand twitched occasionally and Nora's slim hand ghosted over his. Her touch was feather light and cautious. Curiosity spurred her to trail her hand farther up his arm to where his white button-down shirt met his elbow. He lacked arm hair, and Nora would be willing to wager that he was hairless everywhere — the thought of which made her blush — but he was smooth and she could feel the wry muscles that wrapped around his forearm.

Nick shifted and Nora pulled her hand back quickly. The last thing she needed was for Nick to wake to her petting his arm like he was some domesticated pet. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times. Nora had gingerly climbed over his legs to grab her Pipboy and put her shoes on.

Nick cleared his throat. "What time is it?"

"My clock reads half-past seven." She replied. Nora was normally an early riser. She liked to be up and enjoy some quiet time alone with just a newspaper, coffee, and Codsworth's idle humming. Of course, reading the same edition of the paper over and over again can get boring, and Nora had yet to find a cup of coffee anywhere.

Nick quietly dressed and tied the belt of his trench coat loosely around his waist. "I dunno about you, but I'm ready to head on out of here. We can swing through Diamond City to replenish our stocks there, check in with Ellie so she doesn't worry, and then we can make our way to The Glowing Sea."

"Nick … " Nora paused. He looked at her knowing exactly what she was going to say next.

"I'm not coming with you." He finished for her.

"I'm sorry, Nick. I can't."

Nick readjusted his fedora so it sat a little lower on his forehead."You can't go alone, Doll. If you don't take me, then take someone who can take care of you."

"Hancock already volunteered." Nora replied. She felt sheepish

"Oh." He kept his reaction feather light and neutral.

"Yeah," Nora replied lamely.

"So, did you guys finally manage to see eye-to-eye?

"Not really." Nora confessed. "He's still an ass, but I'd rather have him risk his life than a person who I — " Nora stopped herself — " I mean, than you."

"How pragmatic." Nick replied dryly.

"C'mon. I don't like this any more than you don't. You said it yourself: he's a good man. I don't have to like him, but I trust him if you do."

Nick met her eyes, but his jaw was clenched tightly and Nora knew he was holding back to spare her feelings.

"Hancock is a good man. He has many flaws, but none of them involve anything that would put you in unnecessary danger." He reasoned. "But promise me a couple of things: first, don't let him push any chems on you. Sometimes he forgets that not everyone abides by his devil-may-care lifestyle, and two, look out for him. Sometimes he thinks that being a ghoul means he's invincible, and I want both of you to come back in one piece.

Nora smiled and pulled Nick into a hug, "We'll be fine, and thanks for understanding."

Nick glowered over her shoulder but held her tightly. It wouldn't do anyone any good if he made a bigger fuss over this. "Stay safe, alright. I need to hang around here for another day anyway, but I'll be back at the agency waiting for you to come back."

Nora pulled away and gently brushed his ruined cheek with her hand. Nick resisted every impulse to lean into her touch.

"Don't wait up, Valentine. I'll be back soon."

—

After a morning of preparations, Nora and Hancock walked out of Goodneighbor fully armed as though they were going into battle. Hancock introduced her to K-L-E-O and used his status as mayor to outfit the both of them with ammunition, guns, supplies, and armor. Hancock refused to wear any other armor besides a pair of metal leg guards because he said the rest of it would crease his coat.

Yet, Hancock's mayoral influence could only extend so far. K-L-E-O refused to simply hand over her suit of T-51 Power Armor for free. It took Nora a lot of sweet talking before she convinced the mechanical woman to accept her and Nate's wedding bands as collateral.

Hancock eyed the small gold bands curiously but said nothing. Before noon, the duo were outfitted to take on the meanest that the wasteland had to offer.

Before stepping into the suit of Power Armor, Nora turned around and saw Nick lounging up against a concrete wall near the Old State Hosue. He raised his hand in farewell, and Nora could see the small glowing ember of his lit cigarette.

Hancock smirked at Nora's wistful gaze, "Don't worry, sister. You'll be back soon enough. Nick wouldn't let me live if I let too much harm come to his girl."

"I'm not his girl." She replied briskly, but her voice felt hollow. A blush colored her cheeks when she climbed into the mechanical suit.

A smoky chuckle met her ears, "Sure you're not. But I don't think Nick knows that. I've never seen him make moon eyes at another person like that before. It's fuckin' adorable."

Nora rolled her eyes at his insinuation. "It isn't like that. I'm his client, and besides, I'm paying him for his services."

"No you aren't." Hancock countered and opened the metal door that led into Boston, "I know Nick. He won't take a cap from you. Even if you do find your son, he'll say that he was just doing right by you. Nick's like that, all honorable and proper, but he wont admit that helping out damsels in distress for free don't pay the bills."

Hancock sounded annoyed as if the Nick's audacity to charge little for his services was a personal affront. Yet, most people never noticed that Hancock's annoyance was actually thinly-veiled admiration for the synth.

"So, what's the plan here?" Nora asked. She figured that changing the subject away from Nick would help her avoid any future embarrassing or insinuating comments. "We're armed to the teeth, and yet I have no idea on how to get to the Glowing Sea."

"I imagine you just look for the one part of the Wasteland that's glowing like a radioactive christmas tree." Hancock replied dryly.

"Don't be a smart ass." She grumbled and took the lead past the cleared Mass Fusion building. They encountered the occasional rabid dog and raider on their way towards the southwest and had managed to sneak past a large group of Super Mutants who were hiding out in the ruins of Trinity Tower. Yet, it took them nearly the entire day to make it out of the city and into the wilderness.

The sun was setting when Nora and Hancock made it to the northern edge of the Glowing Sea. Although Hancock didn't complain, Nora could see the slight stiffness in the ghoul's walk and suggested that they find shelter for the day before they continued their journey into the Glowing Sea.

"Based on my Pipboy, there's a military bunker about three hundred yards away. I think that'll be as good of a place as any out in this wasteland."

Being on the edge of the Glowing Sea made Nora realize that she used the term 'wasteland' too casually. There was no sign of non mutated life — present ghoul company excluded — and the landscape was rugged and covered in ash-like sand that kicked up whenever a rad storm blew in. The wasteland of the Commonwealth looked like a the picture of civilization now that Nora found some perspective.

Sure enough, the bunker that her Pipboy had marked for her was nearly buried underneath rubble, tree fragments, and ash. They both would've missed it if it wasn't for the tattered American Flag that sat on top of the building. The flag blew angrily in the wind; Nora and Hancock scrambled down the crumbling rocky embankment and managed to find the faded red door.

The terminal had already been hacked by someone else but the computer's screen was screen was shattered so Nora kept getting a message that read: ERROR.

"Be ready." Nora commanded, "We don't know what's in there waiting for us."

Hancock unholstered his shotgun and Nora grasped her pistol as they stepped into the pitch black bunker. The entryway was compact, but Nora could see another door off to her right. She motioned to Hancock to cover her and pulled out a pulse grenade that she had picked up off a dead Gunner. Once she pulled the pin on the grenade, she threw open the door and lobbed the explosive towards the two pods on the far end of the room then immediately shut the door again.

"INITIALIZING START-UP PROTOCOLS. ENEMY HOSTILE DETECTED."

Nora grabbed Hancock's hand and pulled him around the corner. The EMP field from the explosion radiated out in a visible blue sphere of electric charge. Nora could feel the electricity crackle through the air akin to being caught in an electric storm.

"CRITICAL FAILUR —"

The two robots clattered uselessly onto the floor and exploded into shrapnel and broken electronics.

The duo waited, tense and with baited breath, and listened for any survivors from the blast. The bunker was deathly quiet and Nora cautiously opened the door; her headlight illuminated the room and she motioned Hancock onward.

"The coast is clear. Thankfully there are some beds in here so we wont be sleeping on the floor."

Nora's Power Armor beeped as she disengaged from the frame, and rolled her stiff arms while grimacing at the pain.

"I'd offer to give you a back rub if I wasn't so beat." Hancock offered with a grin. Despite their rocky start earlier that morning, Hancock proved to be a brutal and efficient fighter. If his powerful shotgun didn't take care of the enemy, then he wasn't afraid to get up close and personal to finish the job. Nora saw him pick a raider up by the throat and disembowel his body with the hunting knife that he kept tucked in his boot.

"I'll be fine." She replied.

"Suit yourself." Hancock said as he began making up a bed on the opposite end of the small room.

The room itself had a barracks lined with two rows of sturdy metal framed beds. The mattresses had held up surprisingly well for being so close to ground zero of a nuclear detonation.

The two Protectrons that were housed in this room were flanking another entryway which led to a room full of medical boxes, munition, and two dried out skeletons. Nora planned on going through the loot after she took a much needed nap.

Nora threw a sheet of industrial plastic over the bed and tucked it underneath the mattress. She started doing this after she heard a couple of Diamond City guards complaining about catching something from the lockup barracks. Nora didn't know how common conventional bedbugs were now that almost all other insects had mutated to be nightmare-inducing creatures, but she didn't want to risk it nevertheless. If Hancock found her behavior odd, he didn't comment on it.

She unrolled the sleeping bag that they picked up back in Goodneighbor. The outside looked like it had seen better days. The brown synthetic fabric was patched in several places and the zippers no longer worked right, but the inside of the sleeping bag was warm and clean.

Nora unlatched the Pipboy from her arm and placed it on the ground underneath the bed. Taking the machine off made her feel naked and vulnerable. She had come to rely heavily on the Vault Tec invention. Ironically, it was the only Vault Tec invention that hadn't completely fucked up her life.

She packed some of the spare cloth and clothes that she had brought with into the sleeping bag to provide extra warmth. She dumped the rest of their munitions, food, water, and aid into a pile on the empty bed and bunched the military bag into a ball to create a makeshift pillow. She climbed into the sleeping bag fully clothed and pulled the fabric around her like an imitation cocoon. Hancock was already settled into his own sleeping bag and was extinguishing his cigarette into the floor. His jacket, his gun, and his tricorn hat were discarded haphazardly onto the other empty bed. Nora closed her eyes and let the sounds of his breathing lull her to sleep.

"Hey Sunshine."

"Hmm." Nora grunted sleepily.

"I know I'm a pain in the ass. But traveling with you has been refreshing for me, so thanks."

"You're welcome." She replied quietly. Her words were slurred by sleep but they were genuine. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Nick was right: Hancock was a good person.

Yet, as she feared, even Hancock couldn't keep the nightmares at bay.

 _Sanctuary Hills was bathed in a serene morning light as she lounged on the couch while Nate talked with the Vault Tech Salesman. The news anchor reported nothing out of the usual — it was going to be another temperate October day, the imposed ration on gasoline was still in effect, and the Red Sox won 5-2 against the Chicago Cubs during their home game this past weekend._

 _Shaun's shrill cry came from the bedroom, and Codsworth soon floated out._

 _"Mum," I think young Shaun needs some of that maternal attention that you are so good at._

 _Nora rose to help Codsworth as Nate closed the door and waved farewell to the salesman._

 _"Hon, sit down. You were up all night with the baby. I've got him." He replied with a warm smile._

 _Nora grinned and sat back down on the couch. She picked up the small remote and was just about to change the channel when a banner flashed across the screen that read: PLEASE STAND BY._

 _The TV cut to a clean-cut man holding papers in front of a microphone. The news anchor's hands were trembling. His voice was hollow but he kept reading off the prompt._

 _"I — uh, I have breaking news. This just in. Reports of nuclear missile detonations have been confirmed in Washington D.C. and New York. Folks need to evacuate to the nearest Vault or shelter immediately. His eyes met Nora's and held nothing but fear. God help us."_

 _The TV cut out and Nora was on her feet before she knew it. Nate was already behind her with Shaun when she opened the door._

 _"Quick, we have to get to the Vault." He cried._

 _He ran off with Shaun but Nora was rooted in place. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't run after them._

 _Panic flooded her system and she finally willed herself to move her left foot. She did so with monumental effort and then tried to will her other foot to do the same._

 _Nate and Shaun were long gone, she reasoned, and yet she was only five feet from her front door. The air raid sirens cut through the air and then Nora saw a large fighter jet fly low over the town. She could barely make out the red hammer and sickle insignia that was branded to the plane's metal hull. Within a second, the hatches below the plain opened quickly and several large bombs dropped out and fell to the ground in a neat row and demolished the house across from her._

 _Nora was knocked onto the ground by the blast. Her skin felt blistered and raw, and her eyes teared up against the acrid smoke and debris. The sunlight shined through the smoke to create an eerie, ethereal effect._

 _When the smoke died down, Nora coughed and crawled out of the rubble. She looked back inside the house to see if Codsworth could look for the First-Aid box but was dismayed to see that his shiny metal hull was shattered and his internal servos sparked onto the floor of the ruined house._

 _"Codsworth," She croaked, her throat was raw and inflamed. She reached out a hand but noticed that her skin was red, mottled, and peeling away to reveal the bloody flesh underneath._

"Nora, wake up!" A voice cried which broke her out of her dream.

She jolted awake and nearly hit Hancock until he moved away and went back to his own bed.

"Shit, sorry." Hancock replied seeing Nora's tension. "I didn't know how to wake you without giving you a heart attack. This mug ain't the most comforting sight when you're having night terrors."

Hancock looked worried, which was an expression that softened his rough edges and reminded her that he was indeed still human, however different he looked.

Nora panted and looked around frantically. She was still in the bunker with Hancock. She felt her hands and found that her skin was dry but otherwise normal-looking.

"You okay, sister?"

"I … it" How could Nora begin? She couldn't formulate the words to express her fear and pain. God damn, she was so tired of being in pain.

"It was nothing. It was just a nightmare." She finally responded. The response was lame and she knew it. "I'm sorry that I woke you up. Let's just go back to sleep."

"You're forever gonna be in pain if you don't talk about it." Hancock replied and tossed her his pack of cigarettes.

She cocked an eye brow at him suspiciously and he rose his hands up in defense, "Hey, it just looks like you need one."

"How do you know I smoke." She replied. She put the unopened pack by her makeshift pillow and then gathered up the clothes that had fallen onto the floor and stuffed them back into the foot of her sleeping bag.

"I could smell the tobacco on you when you were in my office yesterday." He replied. "Honestly, I thought part of it was just from Nicky's ever present cloud — that synth could put a smokestack out of business — but then I noticed you had that look in your eye."

Nora scoffed, "What look."

Hancock's eyes bore into hers and she felt like he could see right through her. "You have the look of an addict. Now, before you go and getting bent outta shape, I'm not sayin' that you're like those folks pawin' at my coat for the next hit of Jet, but you have something that you need; you have something that keeps you livin', even if that something is as small as a cigarette."

Nora glowered at him and tossed the pack back to him. "We both should go back to bed. We depart once the sun is up and we've still got a long journey ahead of us."

Hancock opened the pack and pulled out a cigarette and lit it with a small flip lighter that was in his coat pocket.

"Don't do that, sister." He remarked.

"Do what?"

"Put a wall up when someone is trying to show you that he fuckin' cares about your pain. Believe it or not, but you're not the only person the world has screwed over. Maybe you could let them empathize with you instead of pushing them away."

Nora bit her tongue against the colorful and harsh string of curse words that rose to her throat. Who the hell did Hancock think he was? She thought. Being mayor in some derelict town didn't make him responsible for her feelings, so why should he care?

She couldn't do much except glower inwardly and sink back into her sleeping bag. For an extra good measure, she turned her back to him and faced the concrete wall. The quietness of the room was almost stifling and it took her a lot longer to fall asleep, but when she did, her dreams were fragmented and she was restless beneath the flimsy canvas bag.


	11. Finding Virgil

Chapter 11 ~ Finding Virgil

Morning came sooner than Nora would've liked and she woke up already in a bad mood. Hancock must've noticed because he kept out of her way as she rummaged through the vacant storage room to recover any ammo or supplies that would help them.

The suit of Power Armor sprang to life as soon as she was closed inside of it, and the duo tentatively stepped out into the erie yellow glow of morning. Nora's Pip Boy directed them southwest and within ten minutes, they reached their first landmark, a destroyed Red Rocket gas station, and they took out the mole rats with little problem.

Yet, just before Nora could relax she heard an explosion and felt the ground tremble beneath her feet. She whirled around just in time to see an earth-colored monstrosity with an exoskeleton that looked like gravel. The monster's stinger was nearly ten feet long and its pincers clicked a predatory message.

Before Nora could fire off any rounds, the beast's stinger struck forward like lightning and hit her square in the chest. The aluminum and steel from the Power Armor sparked from the stinger's force and several internal computers and monitors began chiming and alerting her that her armor was damaged.

Hancock stalked towards the beast and started firing with his shotgun. When the two slugs were spent, he pulled out a pistol that was in his boot and began firing rapidly towards the creature. Distracted, the beast turned its attention on the ghoul which gave Nora enough time to pull out the combat shotgun that she picked up from the bunker storeroom. The gun had six rounds compared to Hancock's two and she ran behind the beast's stinger and discharged all six until the stinger was completely severed from the insect's body. Green blood pooled over the scorched yellow earth and the black stinger at the end of the beast's tail glinted in the sunlight.

"You alright?" Nora asked Hancock.

He looked stunned or like he was in shock but still flashed her a grin. "I'm good, sunshine. Those damn radscorpions always scare the shit outta me though. You doin' okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." Nora replied. The alarms from her suit had stopped but there was a faint ticking that she was concerned about. "We should get going, I think I'm taking on some rads now that we're closer to the crater."

The duo picked their way through the wasteland slowly and cautiously. Hancock spotted a Deathclaw in the distance and the duo made sure they gave it a wide berth, but then Nora accidentally spooked a cluster of feral ghouls when she stepped in a puddle of irradiated water.

Two went town quickly to Nora's gun, but the last three overwhelmed her until Hancock took them down with his hunting knife.

Now the dashboard on her suit showed that her chest and left arm pieces were damaged, and Nora wondered if she could find this scientist before she was reduced to nothing except the Power Armor frame.

"Hey, thanks for that." She replied, gesturing to the ghoul carcasses, "I wasn't expecting them to be so fast."

He smirked, "I'll take care of the feral ghouls if you'll take care of the nasty creepy crawlers, deal?"

"If I didn't know any better, Mayor, I'd say that you were afraid of bugs." Nora chided jokingly.

"I ain't afraid of bugs, I'm afraid of giant mutated fuckin' monsters that pretend they're bugs." He replied with a grin.

Nora laughed, "There aren't any mutated hornets out here are there? I should've told you before we left Goodneighbor that I'm deathly afraid of hornets, so if we see any flying around here I'm abandoning your ass and running for my life."

"My, your bravery knows no bounds, does it?" Hancock joked. "Don't worry sunshine, if we see any hornets I have the perfect bug repellant." He patted the shotgun that was holstered on his hip lovingly.

The duo walked for nearly an hour more before they took a brief break beneath a pile of gutted out, rusted cars. Hancock lit a cigarette and popped a pill from a small packet and ingested it. Nora assumed the pill wasn't medicinal but didn't want to ruin the good mood by chiding him so she kept her mouth shut.

"How far away are we from the target?" He asked.

"Not too far, about 300 meters or so, but the marker leads me right into the center of the crater. I'm taking on rads faster than I intended, and the damage in my suit isn't stopping them as quickly as I'd like."

"How do you feel?" Hancock asked.

"Fine. I'm a little tired, but I think fighting an oversized, mutated scorpion and a handful of ferals will do that to a person."

He didn't reply but he still looked worried. "Well let's go find this crater and see what's there. If anything, I can go investigate further if the radiation is too strong. Looking as handsome as this does have its perks."

Hancock took the lead and the ground below them rose quickly and the ash and dirt gave way to tough, jagged rocks. The duo scrambled up the steep hill and were astounded when they peered down into the glowing crater.

Amidst the yellow and green nuclear goo, several wooden shacks stood on stilts as though the deadly radiation was a harmless patch of water. Up on the opposite hillside, a large metal construct of several shelters welded together stood with two giant banners that had an atom painted on them in black.

"Aw fuck, I've heard of these freaks." Hancock whispered. "These guys are the Children of the Atom; they believe that their slow deaths from the radiation is part of a God's grace upon them. They're real freaks. _This_ is where the scientist is suppose to be?"

Nora couldn't believe that people lived in this forsaken part of the Wasteland, yet sure enough, two people clad only in makeshift burlap clothing traversed the wooden pathways as though they were taking a Sunday stroll through the park.

"If he's not here, then maybe someone knows where he's hiding." Nora reasoned.

"What if they don't want to cooperate." He cautioned. "Their weapons are nasty, they shoot out condensed radiation and with your low tolerance, you'd be dead in one shot."

"What else are we gonna do?" Nora responded. "We've come too far to turn back now."

"Let's just get in and get right back out." Hancock offered, "These people are a different breed of crazy. But if they draw first, I'm taking all of them out on my own. Their guns wont do shit to me. I don't want you involved in the fight."

He didn't wait for Nora to agree and took the lead as they skirted along the outside crater until they found enough clean ground to descend safely, but they didn't make it very far before a man stationed near the entrance to the large metal lodge unholstered his strange gun and trained it on them

"Stop!" He ordered. He walked towards the duo with his gun drawn and aimed right at Nora's head. "What is your business here? Speak plainly and quickly or be divided by Atom's wrath."

Hancock, true to his word, already had his own shotgun trained on the man. "Back off asshole or I'll take your head off in one shot."

"Please, we mean you no harm." Nora replied quickly. She stepped in front of Hancock's gun. "We are looking for a scientist and we were told that he'd be here. His name is Brian Virgil."

"You come all of this way to threaten us on our own land? Why should we help a profligate like yourself who hides from Atom in a metal suit? Reveal yourself so Atom can judge you in His full glory."

"I'm threatening you because you pointed a gun at us first." Hancock growled and walked in front of Nora. "You holster your gun, _friend_ , and I'll do the same with mine."

The man's eyes narrowed suspiciously but did as he was told. "Good" Hancock replied. "Now, as for my friend and the Power Armor here, she's staying inside it. She ain't got the resistance that you do. She's Pre-War and spending more than ten minutes out here could kill her."

"We don't fraternize with Atom's forsaken. Hold your tongue, ghoul, or be divided by Atom." The man growled threateningly and reached for his gun again.

Nora rolled her eyes, "Seriously! This isn't a showdown at high noon and you two aren't cowboys. We don't have time for this."

Both men looked at her in confusion and she let out an exasperated sigh. Of course, they wouldn't understand Pre-War Western movie references, she thought.

Nora's rad counter read that she was receiving around 5 rads per second while protected by the suit. She wasn't sure what her limit was or how quickly it would take her to reach it once she got out of the suit, but Nora was too close to finding her son to let something this minor get in her way. The Power Armor suit beeped and warm air swept over her back. The air smelled faintly like the chorine from a swimming pool but otherwise felt no different than normal.

"Nora…" Hancock warned.

"I'm fine," She replied curtly. "Now," She turned to the man, "Do you know a Brian Virgil? It's important that I find him. Please, help me."

The man paused for at nearly ten seconds as though to see if Nora would spontaneously combust or be smote by his vengeful God. When nothing happened, he looked disappointed. "Seeing as Atom hasn't divided you on sight, I say that He is postponing judgement, and therefore so must I. Our leader, Mother Isolde, may know more about this Virgil that you speak of. I will take you to her. Be warned, profligate. Do not threaten her like you did with me; Atom protects all of this children with the grace of his Glow.

The man led them up the metal stairs and opened the heavy door that lead to the large lodge. "Mother, two visitors have come. They seek your council and guidance."

A voice cut through the dim room, "Good, Atom foretold of their arrival. Thank you, Brother Osgood"

Brother Osgood bowed low and shut the metal door behind them, but not before giving Hancock and Nora a disapproving look. Nora's eyes found it hard to adjust to the dim light inside and she felt around for anything that she might accidentally bump in to.

Confident that she wasn't going to trip over anything, Nora stepped farther into the room and saw that small candles produced just enough light to see the dim outlines of furniture. Some candles had wax that was dripping off metal shelves and others that had pooled and melded into the wood tables. Then her eyes made out a small altar set up on the second floor where a slight woman was praying before a large yellow barrel marked with the biohazard symbol. Nora felt her stomach lurch.

She took in a shuddering breath and she felt Hancock's mottled hand gently graze over hers. He placed two pills firmly into the palm of her hand and whispered in her ear, "Take these, sunshine."

"What are they?" She whispered. They weren't the same size and shape of the pills that she saw Hancock take earlier. These were more like capsules and were nearly weightless.

"Just take them." He replied.

Nick's warning about accepting drugs from Hancock rang in her ears, but she ignored it. Nora popped the two pills into her mouth and swallowed them dry. They tasted bitter and she fought every desire within her to not cough them back up.

"Why have you come travelers?"

"We don't want trouble." Hancock replied. He was far more level-headed than in his interaction with Brother Osgood. "We're looking for a man named Virgil and we're told that you know him."

Mother Isolde descended the metal ladder and approached the duo. She looked even sicker from up close. Her brown hair was greasy and stringy and she had bare patches near the base of her neck where hair refused to grow any longer. "Yes, I know of Virgil. He came here seeking Atom's asylum. What do you want with him?"

"We were told that he has information about how to get into the Institute." Nora replied truthfully.

Mother Isolde narrowed her eyes as if confirming a suspicion, "Institute…yes, I've heard of them and I know that Virgil is somehow connected to them. In truth, this Virgil has caused some concern. Some believe his presence is an affront to Atom."

"Is he here?" Nora asked.

"No. He lives southwest of here and has only come to trade with us on rare occasions. I have not seen him in several weeks. I would approach cautiously, though. He does not want to be found."

"Look, we appreciate the help." Hancock replied. "What do ya want in return? I got caps, I got influence back in Goodneighbor. What's the trade for this information."

"The only trade I want is what Atom wants." Mother Isolde replied, "Atom reached out and touched this world, bringing His Glow to us. It remains to this day, a reminder of His promise. Infinite worlds through infinite divisions. You both will go forth and spread this message to others. You will be disciples of Atom."

All of this talk about Atom, Division, and the Glow was making Nora's head pound. She gritted her teeth against the pain.

Hancock snorted, "You're crazy, lady. But I'm not one to look a gift brahmin in the mouth. C'mon Nora, lets get outta here. You've been outta that suit long enough. Nick'll kill me if I bring you back all ghoulified."

Nora let Hancock usher her out but she took one last look back at Mother Isolde and couldn't help but feel nervous about letting a favor go unpaid. These people didn't seem like the altruistic type.

Hancock nearly pushed Nora back into the Power Armor, but she didn't breath any easier once she got back inside. Her internal health meters told her that she had minor radiation sickness. Of course, the nausea and the now pounding headache that she was experiencing could've clued her into that.

Hancock slung her dufflebag over his shoulder despite Nora's protests that she should carry it since it held most of her stuff.

"You ain't carrying shit until we get a course of Rad Away going through you." He replied bitterly. "The two doses of Rad-X I gave you was enough to get you through this cesspool, but you're in no shape to do anything except help us navigate to Virgil."

Nora noted the bitterness in his voice, "Are you alright? You seem mad."

"I ain't mad." He replied forcefully, "I'm responsible for getting you back in one piece and you're not making my job easier by jumping out of your suit to go traipsing through a radioactive shithole."

"I'm not some delicate woman that you have to take care of." She shot back, "I can handle myself."

Yet, Nora felt a stronger wave of nausea that made her blood run cold. Sweat beaded on her forehead and she bit down on her lip to keep from vomiting. Once the feeling passed, she took a few shuddering breaths.

"The map says he's not far. Only about 200 meters past this hill." Her voice was weak and airy.

"See what I mean." Hancock replied. "You're already sick ain't ya."

"Yes."

"Is it just nausea and a headache right now?" He asked.

"So far."

"See, that's the routine shit. You start experiencing lightheadedness, hallucinations, and fatigue, you let me know right away because death ain't far behind. Now, lead on. The sooner we find this guy, the sooner we can get the fuck outta here."

Nora nodded and took point and led them along a rocky ridge and up a steep incline between two large, steep crags of rock. The path led them to a natural bowl in the earth, almost like a miniature crater, and a small entrance to a cave sat on the far wall.

"This is it." Nora replied and gestured to the cave entrance. She began walking down the slight slope until Hancock called out. "Nora, stop!"

Nora turned around to look at Hancock but felt an battering force hit her on her left side. She was lifted off the ground and felt a beast's immense claws crush her ribs. The deathclaw let out an ear splitting roar that temporarily silenced the alarms and trills that said "Critical Failure: Auto Eject Imminent."

As the beast opened its gaping mouth full of dagger-sized teeth, the back of the suit opened and Nora fell nearly fifteen feet to the ground. Her back exploded in pain and the breath was knocked from her lungs. Her vision swam in her head and she saw duplicate images of the deathclaw chomping the metal suit as though it was biting through a lobster tail. Nora's ears were ringing but when she tried to get up a sharp pain from her ribs stole the breath from her lungs. She saw Hancock yelling commands at her but she heard nothing except the pounding of blood pooling around her brain.

Nora tried to will herself to stand but her body felt glued to the ground. She couldn't even lift her head up because it was doing flips inside her skull. She was suppose to tell Hancock about something … something important. She wanted to get off the rollercoaster, she thought. She should've never let Nate convince her to go on the stupid thing. What if she puked in front of him? Yet, despite her best efforts, the nausea won over and Nora vomited as the rollercoaster plunged down an impossibly steep track.

Hancock watched in horror as Nora hit the ground like a sack of tatos and didn't move. She didn't make a sound and he worried that she died on impact. The deathclaw ripped through the metal suit and threw it aside when it realized that it held no food.

He noticed that the beast was sniffing the air but it's eyes were covered in a milky white film; the beast was blind. He had to think quickly; his shotgun wasn't powerful enough to drop the beast in two hits so he fished through Nora's belongings and found two frag grenades that she had scavenged from the military bunker. He pulled the pin on one and lobbed it over the hill to his right. The loud explosion threw rubble and dust into the air and the beast turned away from Nora and looked in the direction of the explosion.

This time, Hancock threw it harder and didn't dare to breathe. The explosion sounded slightly farther away, but the noise was enough to get the blind deathclaw to investigate. Once the beast had crested the ridge, Hancock ran over to Nora and grabbed her under her armpits and dragged her into the cave. The entrance to the cave was no larger than a normal doorway which meant that they'd be safe if the deathclaw were to come back.

Hancock turned to Nora who was completely still. "Shit, shit, shit. Nora! Nora. Hey, c'mon wake up."

Her face was covered in blood and Hancock felt the icy jolts of panic rise within him when he realized that the blood was mostly her vomit. Her body was hemorrhaging from the inside. Hancock dropped her duffle bag onto the ground and gathered Nora into his arms. Walking deeper into an unknown cave wasn't just dangerous, it was suicidal, but he had no other choice.

The cave path took a sharp turn to the left and Hancock nearly knocked over an operating machine gun turret. He heard the machine fire up felt the stings of the bullets in his legs and back as he ran past two more. Thankfully, the path ended quickly and the cave opened up to a large area that was heavily furnished with scientific equipment and computer terminals.

A Protectron walked by peacefully and spouted, "Dr. Virgil, you have a visitor."

"Who are you?" A rough voice asked. Hancock walked deeper into the room and nearly dropped Nora from shock. A large, green Super Mutant dressed in a doctor's jacket that had split down the back turned to face the ghoul.

"Who the fuck are you?" He growled.

"I'm Brian Virgil." He responded. The man's voice sounded like the deep timbre of a Super Mutant, but his phrasing was far more eloquent and less broken.

"Well doesn't this just take the cake." Hancock replied disgusted. "A Super Mutant scientist?"

"You're no better." He replied darkly, "You're the first ghoul I've seen in person, so I guess the distain is mutual. What happened to your friend there?"

"She has advanced radiation poisoning, and then that pet Deathclaw you keep nearly ate her alive. If you help me save her, then I may reconsider killing you."

"That's a hell of an ultimatum." The mutant replied. He didn't seem shocked or overly concerned about whether Hancock would act on his promise. "You see, that blind deathclaw was a serendipitous discovery and a perfect first line of defense against people who are looking to find me. I'm thinking that if your friend dies, then she's one less person I have to worry about when it comes to the Institute finding out where I'm located. Now as for you…"

Hancock's eyes widened as the mutant pointed a 10mm pistol at his head. The gun looked comically small in the mutant's large, green hands but it was no less deadly.

"You really think shooting me is gonna help?" Hancock replied. He decided to call the mutant's bluff. The air between them was tense and electrically charged.

"You threatened to shoot me first." He pointed out.

"I have a temper problem." Hancock bit back humorously. "Don't let me running my mouth impact my friend here. She's not at fault for my stupid choices"

"Are you from the Institute?" Virgil asked.

"Fuck no." Hancock spat. He would've laughed if the situation was less dire. "You think they would want anything to do with me?"

"What about her?" Virgil pointed his gun at Nora's unconscious form.

"No. She's Pre-War. She's a Vault Dweller and probably knows less about the Institute than anyone."

Without warning, the palatable tension in the room snapped and the mutant sighed and lowered his weapon, "Look, I'm sorry. I'm not gonna shoot you. I've been on the run for so long that I'm paranoid. The gun isn't even loaded; the bullets are too damn small and I end up accidentally crushing them in my fingers."

Looking at the unconscious woman in the ghoul's arm, he sighed and gestured to a green medical table nearby.

"Put her on the exam table. Get those bags of Rad Away and we'll start flushing the rads from her system. As for injuries from the deathclaw attack, we'll have to see how her body handles the rad purge before we give her any medications to speed healing."

Hancock carried out the orders efficiently and without question. Normally, Hancock's cynicism would've told him to be careful around a Super Mutant who just threatened him at gun point, but something inside of him told him that Virgil was scared and was just trying to survive like everyone else.

Once the rusty red liquid was being fed intravenously into Nora's arm, he extended a mottled hand to the mutant. "Appreciate the assistance here. The name's Hancock, by the way."

The mutant took the ghouls hand gently between his thumb and his forefinger and shook it once as though he was shaking a doll's hand. "Nice to meet you."

* * *

Nora awoke feeling like she had been ran over by a car. The headache and the nausea were gone, but the sharp breath-stealing pain underneath ribcage told her that she was lucky to be alive.

"How ya doin there, sunshine?" A rough voice asked to her right. Hancock was sitting in a chair next to the exam table and was sporting some of his own white bandages on his back and legs. His jacket, flag, and gun holster were sitting in a neat pile on the dirt floor.

"What happened? Where are we?" She asked. Nora remembered the deathclaw grabbing her and she remembered the stomach churning sensation of falling out of the Power Armor, but the rest of the events were blank. Her mind felt heavy and dull.

"After we tangled with that deathclaw, I distracted it with a couple of grenades that were in your pack, and then I managed to pull you into the cave before the bastard came back." Hancock replied. He looked tired and he absent-mindedly fiddled with a red can of Jet. "Then I brought you here and purged the rads from your system. The Med-X should be wearing off soon. You have some broken ribs, but those will take some time to heal on their own.

"What about Virgil? Did you find him? Nora asked.

"Yes, he found me." A deep voice rumbled from a dark cavern. Two small kerosene lamps and the erie green glow from a computer terminal provided most of the light in the cave. Nora squinted and saw a monstrous silhouette sitting on a pile of car tires and a sheet of plywood.

The creature rose from the makeshift bed and stepped cautiously into the light. Virgil's hulking form towered over both of them. His green, squished face looked permanently suspicious; he had a small pair of eye classes perched on his fat nose which served more as a decoration rather than an actual function. A white doctor's coat was hung off his body in tatters, and a blue scarf wrapped around his thick neck.

"Your friend, here, has been mute about why you came all of this way to find me." Virgil responded, "Now that I've shown my good faith by patching you up and purging the radiation from your system, I hope you'll do me the same curtesy of answering some of my questions. Namely, and most importantly, what do you want from me."

Nora blinked dumbly. She had never encountered a Super Mutant in the wastelands, but she did overhear their broken cries when she and Travis snuck past them on their way to save Vadim. None of this made sense; why would a Super Mutant — even and advanced one like Virgil — know anything about the Institute?

"I — We're looking for a couple of people." Nora replied. "I'm looking for my son, and Hancock is looking for his brother. We think the Institute is responsible for their disappearance and we were told" — Nora paused and briefly contemplated how much she should reveal about how she exactly heard about Virgil. Saying that she heard it from the consciousness of a dead Institute mercenary made her sound more insane than she already felt. — "that you were hiding out in the Glowing Sea."

Virgil narrowed his black beady eyes, "You've come a long way to find two people. I'm afraid that I don't know anything about either of them."

"But you do know how to get into the Institute." Nora replied, "Why else would a Super Mutant go through so much trouble to hide himself away in the farthest corner of the Commonwealth?"

"I'm not a Super Mutant." He replied curtly as if frequent source of confusion for people and he was tired of explaining it. "I'm a scientist. And the Institute is no place for the likes of either of you."

Hancock looked at him incredulously, "Right, and I'm the real John Hancock."

Virgil growled in frustration and ran a meaty hand over his bald head, "I know how this looks. You probably come across many Super Mutants in your travels and they're all dumb, brutal killing machines. You think that I'm just an anomaly who is extraordinarily intelligent for their kind, but the problem is that I created their kind. I turned myself into one of them to use my own blood to develop a vaccine for the FEV that helped create them."

"Wait, what? Back up." Nora exclaimed, "You created the Super Mutants?"

"Yes. At least the ones that the Institute released on the Commonwealth. Like I said, I'm a scientist, and I use to work in the Bioscience division in the Institute. My main project was to study the effects of the Forced Evolutionary Virus, or FEV, on animal and human subjects."

Seeing Nora's disgust, Virgil added quickly, "Which I don't do anymore. That's why I'm here in this cave. I'm in hiding. I sabotaged my research so the Institute couldn't use my findings to further harm humanity. The Director of the Institute has ordered a ruthless man named Kellogg to take me out, although after talking to your friend there, it appears that you already took him out for me. Thank you for that."

Nora's mind swam from all of the information. "Look. Since you escaped the Institute, you must know a way to get in again. I need to get into the Institute. I think they've kidnapped my son."

"You want to get into the Institute? Are you insane? Getting in there would surely mean a death sentence for you. If they did kidnap your son, he's already dead or he's long been replaced with a synth counterpart."

Nora flinched at his bluntness and blinked away the tears that welled up in her eyes. Dead. Her son was already dead? That was the most logical conclusion of course, but something inside told her that it wasn't true.

"What do ya mean, replaced?" Hancock replied. He looked like he already knew the answer to the question but wanted Virgil to confirm that he was right.

Virgil shrugged as though what he was about to say was common information. "The Institute has been kidnapping people one at a time and replacing them with synthetic counterparts. They've been doing it for years. Our Director thought it was prudent to have a covert Institute presence above ground to monitor everything going on."

"What happens to the people that they kidnap? What happens after their synth replacement takes over?" Hancock growled, his fists were clenched in rage.

"They are sent to me as subjects for the FEV experiments." Virgil had the good sense to look ashamed and didn't flinch when Hancock put the barrel of his shotgun to his head.

"Alright you bastard, I gave you the benefit of the doubt earlier but that ends now. What's stopping me from blowing your brains out right now?" He snarled. "You fuckin' turned my brother into a fuckin' mutant!"

"Hancock, calm down." Nora urged.

"You can't honestly tell me to calm down when a murderer is standing right in front of us!" Hancock exclaimed. He was panting now from anger, "Your son is probably a Super Mutant kid or some fucked up shit. Why aren't you pissed about this?"

"In all of my years at the Institute, I've never experimented on kids." Virgil replied. He knew the information was too little, too late but he felt compelled to justify himself. "The Institute may have flaws, but we would never intentionally harm children."

"How noble of you." The ghoul spat. "You don't experiment on them, but you don't care if you fuck their life up by taking their parents or their brother and —"

Nora cut in, "Hancock, please." —

"No." He cut her off. "I can't sit here while we play nice with this fuckin' murderer. He may have patched you up, but no amount of penitence can undo the countless murders that he's probably committed. I'd rather take my chance getting eviscerated by that fuckin' Deathclaw."

Nora watched Hancock slink off. She wanted to go after him and offer some comfort or at least offer her condolences. She knew how painful not knowing was. An explosion was heard near the cave entrance and Nora knew that Hancock had taken out one of the now-offline turrets.

"I'd say that I was sorry, but he's right." Virgil's deep voice seemed to crack a little with emotion. "The Institute changes people. They are so focused on redefining what it means to be human through science and technology that they sometimes don't see that they are losing their own humanity in the process. That's why I had to leave."

"And that's why I need to get in there." Nora responded. "They have my son. He's only a boy, and if they don't experiment on children — like you claim — then I need to get him out of there before they do irreparable harm."

Virgil nodded and shuffled over to his large metal workbench. He rummaged through a small pack and pulled out an old Nuka Cola pinup poster, a box of small golf pencils, and a round, black and blue object that was no larger than a golf-ball.

"Getting into the Institute is a closely guarded secret. Coursers who go rogue or synths who manage to escape have a failsafe built into their neural processors that delete the information as soon as the Institute deems them as enemies. However, their scientific technology doesn't work on escaped human scientists." Virgil smirked. "The main method of traveling around the Commonwealth is via a teleportation relay. The central relay is located in the Institute and is powered by a large nuclear generator. The central relay allows anyone with a courser's chip to teleport in and out of the Institute freely."

Virgil began drawing rudimentary blueprints on the back of the Nuka Cola poster. "To get into the Institute, you'll need to build a smaller version of this." He showed her a crude illustration of a platform with four large arches crossed at the center. Next to the diagram was a list of needed materials that and hastily scribbled instructions on how to assemble everything together. "This should be good enough for a one-way trip. With some ingenuity, you should be able to find the materials for the wiring within common scavenged material."

When he was done, he turned the poster over to Nora and she carefully rolled up the glossy paper into a cylindrical tube.

"Now this," Virgil picked up the small black and blue ball and tipped it into her palm. "This is an invention of my own. I used one of these to get here after I escaped the Institute. I've condensed the power of a courser's chip into a smaller, more manageable teleportation device. Granted, this doesn't have enough power to teleport you very far. It can teleport you to the Glowing Sea's edge, but it beats having to truck through more radiation."

"How do I use it?" She asked.

"Just orient yourself in the direction that you want to travel and squeeze this in your hands. The microchip inside will temporarily hijack an unencrypted relay signal and teleport you a set distance."

Nora sat up on the bed and winced as Virgil gently removed the empty IV from her arm. Her chest still felt sore and her entire back was full of knots and was stiff."

"You're healed up enough to travel, but I wouldn't get into too many fights for a while." Virgil replied. Use the relay to teleport yourself and your friend to the Glowing Sea's edge and then take some time to rest up. You broke some ribs from your fight with the Deathclaw and there's not much I could give you to help speed the healing until the rads were out of your system."

"I understand. Thanks for everything. And I'm sorry about Hancock."

"Don't be sorry." Virgil replied with a dismissive wave of his large hand. "He would be justified if he shot me. If I didn't think there was hope for me to turn back into a human, I would've killed myself a long time ago."

"If you didn't think…" Nora started and then read the subtext in Virgil's words, "So there's still a possibility to reverse the effects of the FEV?"

Virgil considered Nora's words and then said, "My research on a vaccine or a cure is in the very early stages. I wont know for sure until I get the serum that I developed back from my lab. I know I don't have a right to ask you this, but if you ever make it there to find your son, I'd appreciate you retrieving it for me."

"I can't make any promises." Nora frowned. Even if she managed to breach the Institute, she wasn't sure what would happen to her. Would they kill her on sight? Would she be imprisoned? Would she even get a chance to ask about Shaun?

"I understand." Virgil replied. "If you do manage to get there, seek out my colleague Dr. Li. She's brash and abrasive at first, but if you mention my name she may be willing to help you out."

"Dr. Li." Nora repeated, more for her own sake. "Got it. Any other advice?"

"Not really. Just take care, Nora. The Institute's a dangerous place. Don't trust anyone when you're there, especially not the Director. He's considered to be a father to many, but he was one of the reasons why I left."

Nora nodded and shook Virgil's giant hand once more before departing. There was something about him that was endearing to Nora, and she hoped that she could come through on her end of the bargain and find his serum.

* * *

Nora found Hancock standing with his back to her. He peered out into the Glowing Sea and watched as a radstorm came rolling in from the south. The sky was a sickly yellow and occasional lighting illuminated the erie night. His hand was gripping the knotted American Flag that was tied at his waist, but Nora saw that his shotgun was holstered safely away which gave her a small sense of comfort.

"Hey, are you doing alright?" She asked tentatively.

He didn't answer and glowered at the lightning flashes and the rumbles of thunder.

Nora cleared her throat and tried again, "Are you ready to head out?"

"You wanna know what the last thing was that I said to my brother before I left Diamond City?" He asked. His voice was quiet as though he didn't want anyone to overhear their conversation. Yet, the quietness held an edge to it that was unmistakable.

Without waiting for Nora's response he continued "I told him that, Mayor or not, he was better off dead to me. He stepped on so many people to get to be mayor of the Great Green Jewel and I wouldn't stand by as he crushed those little people into the ground."

"Your brother is Mayor McDonough?" Nora asked in shock. She only heard about McDonough from Piper's accounts of him, but if Piper was to be taken at her word then McDonough's politics were often exploitative and heavily controversial.

Hancock's reply was sharp and chastising. "That asshole isn't my brother. My brother's name is Robert. He had no political ambitions before he was replaced with a bad synth copy. I thought he and I had a pretty happy childhood, but when our parents died he kind of lost it. At first, I thought he was in grief. He was the favorite one, and I was the fuck up. But then he decides he is going to get elected with his anti-ghoul crusade. His slogan: "Mankind for McDonough" preyed on people's fears. Within a week, there were families lining up to drag folks they once called 'neighbor' out of their homes and out into the ruins."

Hancock continued and his words came faster now as though they were blood flowing from a wound, "Now, Robert was never a stand-up guy. He was the standard pushy, jerk older brother, but he wasn't a bigot. When he was inaugurated, I broke into the upper stands and charged into his office. He didn't look at me. He looked out his office window as though he was surveying a new fucking kingdom and he said, "I finally did it John, all of this is finally mine."

"I begged for him to reconsider, but he dismissed me like I was a common piece of trash. It took three Diamond City guards to throw me out. But before they did, he smiled this fucking hideous, mile-long smile that I had never seen before. I didn't recognize him, and then I knew that Mayor McDonough wasn't my brother; he was an imposter."

"How can you be sure that your brother was replaced by a synth?" Nora asked, "People change, sometimes for the worst."

Hancock turned to look Nora in the eyes. Deep pain and regret radiated from his black eyes. "I don't know. Fuck, I don't think I'll ever know, but it's the only thing I'm holding on to in this big fucked up world that makes sense to me. Kind of like how you're holding on to the hope that your boy is still alive. It seems all we both got to go on is hope. I came with you because I wanted to find closure, but all I got was more questions than answers. "

Nora didn't know what to say. In fact, she doubted that she could say anything that would give either her or Hancock comfort.

He cleared his throat took a huff from the Jet canister in his hand. Nora watched Hancock put the facade of the self-assured, seductive womanizer back on. Yet, his good-natured grin was a little less bright and a little more pained.

"Look, I'm sorry for the blowup back there." Hancock replied. "Now I ain't saying, I was wrong — I should go back there and put a slug through that bastard's skull — but I hope I didn't make things harder for you. Did you get the what you needed?"

"Yeah, I did." Nora replied. She took out the rolled up diagram and showed it to Hancock. "Do you know what to make of this? Virgil said that the parts for this should be easy to scavenge, but I have no idea about how to actually build this."

Hancock frowned and spoke as though he was choosing his next words carefully, "I know a guy, but he ain't exactly easily accessible. Let me talk to some of my connections and pull a few strings. You have an idea as to where you're gonna build this? Something this size needs a pretty hefty power source."

Nora shook her head. "I have no idea about anything anymore. These past few months have been nothing but a scavenger hunt of clues with very few results."

Nora rolled up the diagram and slid it carefully into the military duffle bag. She swung the bag over her shoulders and winced slightly when it jostled her healing ribs. As she loaded up the map on her PipBoy, she saw Hancock watching her intently.

"What?" She asked suddenly self conscious.

Hancock smiled. "I think I had the wrong impression about you, sunshine. It's rare these days to find someone who's not just willing to take things the way they're handed to them."

Nora shifted uncomfortably. Was Hancock actually paying her a compliment, especially one that didn't seem lecherous or overtly sexual?

"Thanks, I guess." She replied.

"You know, I had my doubts about you when we first met, but you can certainly handle yourself out here. I know I run my mouth, but having someone who sees the world for what it is and is willing to do something about it is a rare thing to find out here. Don't let this roadblock discourage you. You'll find your son in no time. Ya wanna hit the road?"

Nora nodded and flushed at the sudden influx of praise. The duo oriented themselves so they were facing north east, and Nora gently laced her fingers into Hancock's rough hand. She took out the small spherical relay that Virgil had given her and rolled it around in her hand. Hancock's warm hand closed around hers and she felt his thumb brush lightly along the ridges of her knuckles. Their contact felt so intimate and Nora couldn't bear to look Hancock in the eyes.

She squeezed the ball in her hand and it crumbled into a fine crystal powder. A blue light enveloped both of them and the Glowing Sea faded out and the dim lights of a small boathouse on the riverside faded in. The sky was clear and the stars twinkled happily in the black canvas.


	12. Mechanical Heart

**A.N. Enjoy guys. I couldn't let the slow burn between Nick and Nora simmer any longer. (Lemon ahead.)**

Chapter 12 ~ Mechanical Heart

A glorious red and pink sunrise settled over the market when Nora trudged into Diamond City. The military duffle bag that she carried felt like it was magnetized to the earth. Her arms and shoulders burned in protest and each breath that she took felt like knives were cutting her insides. She considered going to see Dr. Sun, but his office was closed and a large "DO NOT DISTURB" sign hung lopsided on the metal door.

Thankfully, Hancock and Nora's return back to Boston was uneventful. They walked through the night to avoid any raiders or Super Mutants that patrolled the ruins during the day. Hancock insisted on walking her as far as the wooden barricades of Diamond City before he took off down an alleyway and blended into the night. The Diamond City guards gave her dirty looks as she passed by them. One even muttered something under his breath that sounded like "ghoul fucker" but she let the insult roll off her back. She was far too exhausted to deal with their petty bigoted opinions. Nora was just happy to be at a place that gave her some semblance of home.

Nora took her time navigating the stairs that led to the former baseball field. The small christmas lights twinkled merrily from beneath the awning where Nat sold papers, and the loud chugging of the printing press could be heard from inside. Nora briefly considered getting a room over at the Dugout Inn, but changed her mind immediately when she realized that Vadim would be in no shape to set her up with a room as he'd be passed out behind the bar while the last few patrons leaked out into the late night.

She went left past Publik Occurrences and wove her way down the darkened alley. She couldn't think of enough reasons to talk herself out of not visiting Nick. He didn't sleep, so she wouldn't be disturbing him, and she also figured since they had already spent a night together — albeit a chaste night as companions — , the lines between their professional and personal relationship was already blurred.

Before she could change her mind, Nora found herself standing outside the red metal door that led to the Valentine Detective Agency and gently turned the brass doorknob and let herself in.

She tentatively opened the door and peeked inside. The room was dim and Ellie's desk was unoccupied.

"Nick?" She called out.

"Nora?" A voice responded just out of sight. She fully emerged into the small office and noticed a half smoked cigarette sitting in the ashtray. His trench coat was draped over the back of a worn green chair, and a couple manila file folders and papers were strewn about.

He emerged from around the corner and was carrying a large brown file that was stuffed to the brim with notes and dog-eared, faded pages. He put the file down on the table with a heavy thump and crossed the room in four steps.

"You're back!" He beamed and then noticed her drawn, tired, and relieved face. "Jesus Doll, you look exhausted. Here, sit down."

Nora gratefully accepted the worn yellow cushioned chair and dropped her belongings to the floor with a heavy thud. Nick produced two coffee mugs and poured her some amber liquid from a bottle and handed the glass to her.

"Am I in for an interrogation again Detective?" She replied with a smile. If this was how all of their nights at his office would go — sharing stories over good whiskey — then Nora was okay with that.

"No, I just know that a stiff drink is usually needed after long distance traveling, especially when traveling out in the Commonwealth." He replied.

Nora chuckled and closed her eyes as the alcohol warmed her throat and quelled the trembling in her fatigued body.

"I needed this just for putting up with Hancock." She said half-jokingly.

"Was he that bad?"

"Well, no." She replied, and drained the rest of the mug before speaking again. "He did save me from being eaten by a blind deathclaw and stopped me from dying from radiation sickness. But then, he did threaten everyone we met at gunpoint…so I think it evens itself out."

Nick easy-going grin vanished and he wanted to kick himself for not noticing that Nora's breathing was labored, and her eyes fought to stay open from sheer exhaustion. He also saw the beginnings of a bruise near her right temple "How badly are you injured?"

Nora winced when she repositioned herself in the chair. "Some broken ribs I think. I don't actually know. Hancock told me that the main priority was purging the radiation from my body first. There wasn't enough time to do a full examination. When I got in, I was going to see Dr. Sun but he was closed."

"Like Hell he is. C'mon, Nora. A couple of stimpacks will take care of that for you Dr. Sun owes me a favor anyway."

"Nick," Nora responded in a whine, "I've been on my feet for almost 24 hours straight and I haven't had a shower since I left Diamond City with you and Dogmeat. It can wait until tomorrow; broken ribs wont kill me."

"But you're in pain!" He protested.

"I'm also exhausted." She retorted. "Unless you kick me out of your office or carry me there, I'm not leaving."

He wasn't opposed to carrying Nora there. She was stubborn, but he could be equally as stubborn when it came to her welfare. Yet, Nick sighed and reluctantly agreed. "At least take a shower here. While you do that, I'll scrounge up some food and some clean clothes for you."

"You really don't have to do this Nick." Nora protested. In fact, she was content to just fall asleep in the chair. Yet, her face flushed as Hancock's comments about her being "Nick's girl" came flooding back to her. Surely a shower and dinner went above and beyond the normal duties of a detective.

"Nora, stop being absurd." He replied and nearly pulled Nora out of the chair and led her down the hallway. "Now take a shower and stop being difficult."

Nora smirked at his insistence. She prided herself on being absurd and difficult when the time called for it, yet Nick's concern was endearing and she decided to behave.

He guided her to a small metal door near the staircase and pulled on a metal chain near the door which turned on a single yellow light bulb. The bathroom was spartan: a sink, toilet, a small cracked mirror, and upright shower filled the cramped space. The towel rack was empty but Nora saw a clean bar of soap perched on the soap dish.

"I'll leave some clean clothes and a towel for you outside the door." Nick replied and shut the door behind her.

Nora sighed and turned the tap and let the water warm up for a few seconds. She peeled off her clothes and stuffed them deep into the bottom of her bag. Her bra was still semi-clean, but the fabric was starting to fray and it was losing its elasticity. Nora wondered what women did for undergarments now that the department stores were reduced to rubble or were filled with raiders, super mutants, and other wasteland dangers.

When she stepped under the stream of water, Nora groaned in pain as it pelted the tender skin on her back. She lathered up the soap and used some of it to wash her hair before gently washing away the dirt and grime that she acquired during her travels. Nora rinsed and repeated the process until the tap ran cold.

She stepped out onto the cracked tile and opened the door a crack to grab the clothes and the clean towel that Nick had laid out for her. She saw that the clothes were a mismatch of his cotton, stripped button-down shirts and a long grey skirt that must've been Ellie's at one point.

Her bra was still damp from sweat and the humidity from the shower so Nora stuffed it back into her bag and pulled on Nick's shirt. The sleeves were a bit long, but the button-up hung off her body comfortably and did an adequate job at preserving her modesty. The grey skirt had an elastic band that was stretched out so much that it no longer provided any support, so Nora took her hair tie and wrapped it around the excess to create an makeshift knot similar to Hancock's flag belt. Her hair was still damp, but she felt content.

The cool air from the hallway made her shiver, and she walked barefooted into the office with her belongings. On the desk was a large bowl of noodles and another mug full of amber liquid. Nick was drinking out of his own mug and was leafing through the large file folder that he had gotten earlier.

Nick's eyes glanced up at Nora's and he felt his internal temperature rise a few degrees. "The…the shirt fits you pretty well. I — I wasn't sure if it would."

"Thanks for letting me borrow it." Nora replied. The shower invigorated her enough that she was now ravenous in addition to being exhausted. Her PipBoy read that it was nearly five in the morning and she wondered what Ellie would think when she came in to work to find Nora eating noodles while wearing his shirt. The implication made her flush.

Nora started on the bowl of noodles; the broth was salty and warm. Although it didn't have the kick like Nick's whisky, it comforted her and reminded her of sipping tea by the window in the living room while an early morning storm swept through.

A comfortable silence settled between them as Nora finished her food. She kept stealing glances at the synth and appreciated how his brow furrowed as he read through the case notes. He even mumbled under his breath talking to himself as he scribbled some notes in the margins with a broken pencil. Before she could look away, Nick's eyes met hers and held her gaze with an intensity much like her own.

Nora wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch the synth; she wanted to hold him in her arms and rest her cheek against his chest to hear his mechanical heart thumping beneath.

"You-ah." Nick coughed, breaking the eye contact. "You can use my bed if you'd like. There's no sense walking all the way to the Dugout. There's clean sheets and blankets on the bed."

"Okay." Nora replied quietly and breathier than usual. "Thanks."

She rose from the chair but swayed in place. Now that her stomach was sated, her body was beginning to protest against even the smallest movement. Nick was by her immediately and helped support her as she trudged up the metal steps and to his bed. Nora noticed that besides the bed itself, there were no other bedroom furnishings. There were just stacks and stacks of cardboard boxes full of newspaper clippings, old folders packed with notes, and the occasional hardcover book that was so warn that the spines were bent.

"I didn't know you were a hoarder." She teased.

Nick didn't provide a rebuttal back. Instead, he helped Nora get into bed and then threw a wool blanked over her. She was asleep before the heavy fabric even touched her skin.

* * *

Back in Goodneighbor, Hancock paced back and forth in this room as he tried to work out how to get out of the problem that he was in. No amount of chems, alcohol, or women could distract him from the terrible feeling that was churning in his gut.

"How was the trip, boss?" Fahrenheit asked as she took his shotgun to get repaired and oiled up.

He shrugged his shoulders and grunted noncommittally, "You know, a quick in and out mission is always good for me to stretch my legs. I get bored sitting still for too long."

She held open the door to the Old State House and followed him up to his room. Hancock often traveled and he usually preferred to do it alone. She found it odd that he took a Vault Dweller on this exertion, but she kept her opinions to herself.

Hancock dropped his jacket, holsters, and hat onto the old writing desk next to his bed and flopped down on the red chaise. He put the small canister of Jet to his scarred lips and took a couple of deep hits from it before turning his black eyes on Fahrenheit.

"So what did I miss?"

She recounted the standard drama over small time raiders and mob bosses trying to make a play on Hancock's territory, and went into greater detail when the topic came to Bobbi-No-Nose. Hancock was intrigued to hear that she was running her mouth about hiring some local thugs to steal from him. Yet, he issued orders for her to deal Bobbi as she saw fit.

His mind was elsewhere and he didn't want to be bothered for the remainder of the night. If Fahrenheit found his request odd, she didn't comment about it. Soon, Hancock was left alone with his tumultuous thoughts once again.

He flopped down onto his bed and glowered at the ceiling. He didn't even want to say this secret out loud because doing so would make it real, and if there was anything Hancock avoided the most, it was reality.

No, he couldn't lie to himself. Love was an alien concept to him; he had many lovers but all of their relationships were purely physical. Yet, he loved Nora. Hell, he was _in love_ with Nora. He tried to trace the exact moment that it happened. Perhaps, like an infection, he could go back to the source and cut it out completely.

The first time he laid eyes on her, he was mesmerized by the way her eyes flashed dangerously when Finn tried to extort her for money. She walked with a swagger and confidence that many women in Goodneighbor lacked. Sure, there were the exceptions like Magnolia and Irma who exuded sexuality, but Nora was subtle and more old fashioned. But, even that wasn't love. Lust, sure, he had eyes didn't he? Any red-blooded man or ghoul would fall for a woman like Nora. But a fling and a relationship were two different beasts.

Her eyes hypnotized him when he was on the balcony addressing all of Goodneighbor. She was like a wild rose sitting among a patch of hubflowers. She infuriated and intrigued him at the same time. When everyone was hanging onto his every word, Nora seemed almost irritated by his bullshit. He had no power over her. She didn't fawn at his feet or kiss his ass like the rest of the Goodneighbor citizens, no, Nora made him want to work for her affection. He let out a raspy chuckle at the idea and took a hit of Jet. His late mother would've fallen over in shock to see her son brought to heel by another woman.

Then Hancock remembered the pain in her eyes when she swapped the small gold wedding bands for the suit of Power Armor. KL-E-O dropped the gold into a small drawer like they were common trinkets, but Hancock knew that Nora had traded part of herself away that day. She sacrificed something from her old life in order to learn the truth about her son. Not many people were that selfless now.

He growled in frustration and grabbed a bottle of vodka off the table and drank from it like it was water. Maybe getting black out drunk would be enough to stop Nora from infiltrating his thoughts. He didn't deserve her. He was a washed up ghoul with a drug habit. She told him this herself when they first met. The fire and bravado in her voice that was meant to protect her also burned Hancock's pride. He would never let anyone else talk to him like that, yet Nora's criticism and disapproval of his vices made him feel ashamed.

Of course, the other problem that was more perplexing than his one-sided affections was that Nora was obviously in love with Nicky. Despite the synth's own insecurities, Nora and Nick made sense. They were both moral, good people. They both could bond over their Pre-War nostalgia, and Nick looked happy with her. And that poor bastard was rarely happy about anything.

No, Nora was far too good for him, and he knew it. Yet, that didn't stop him from throwing caution to the wind anyway. If he couldn't have her, then he could do right by her. Fuck, he growled, he was starting to sound too much like Nicky.

Suddenly the vodka bottle was about as appealing as brahmin milk and Hancock got to his feet. He stormed out of the Old State house before he could reconsider what he was actually doing. Thankfully, it was much too early for the shops to be open, save for one.

"Well, hello Mayor." KL-E-O said. Her single red eye was trained on him. "Are you in the market for more weapons? Another suit of Power Armor?"

"No, KL-E-O, I'm in the market to make a trade."

"Interesting." The robot replied sarcastically, "I wonder what you can offer a woman like me who just lost money because the Power Armor she leased out got destroyed."

Hancock heard the crackling of rage in her voice. Her red eye seemed to glow a little brighter and various small vents around her body vented the excess steam to prevent overheating.

"You're right, KL-E-O, I an't got any right asking you for this." Hancock replied, "But having the mayor owe you a favor is kind of a one-time only thing."

"Go on…" She purred.

"I want those two rings that Nora traded with you."

"No." Her response was curt and automatic.

"KL-E-O, they're not worth anything besides scrap now." Hancock protested.

"Oh I know that honey, but my policy is that if you break it, you buy it. That suit of Power Armor will run you nearly 3,000 caps."

Hancock sighed and scowled irritably, "How 'bout this: I'll exchange this pocket watch. —" Hancock pulled out a gold watch that was attached to a fine golden chain. The metal was tarnished but a faint clicking noise could be heard which indicated that the watch was still operational — "This has been in my family since the bombs fell. If you can't sell it and recoup part of that 3,000, then you can sell it for scrap and still make money. Scavvers will wet themselves over the internal gears and springs, and I will show up within the week with a fresh set of Power Armor."

KL-E-O's solitary eye trained on him unflinchingly and Hancock wondered if he was going to get blasted in the face by her laser. Then after nearly a full minute of deliberation, "Alright, honey. You got yourself a deal. You have a week to follow through your end of the deal otherwise I'll blast you down and take what's mine from your corpse. I hope that woman is worth all of the trouble that you're going through for her."

KL-E-O was the only Goodneighbor citizen who could threaten him and live to talk about it. He knew that assaultrons were a different breed of robot and Hancock was willing to take a knock on the chin to spare himself a fight with the wannabe fembot.

The assaultron scooped up the rings and deposited them into Hancock's outstretched hand. He pocketed the rings quickly and then leaned over the counter, "If anyone asks about this, make up a story that they'll believe. Can't let people think I've gone soft now."

"Oh Mayor, you're anything but soft." KL-E-O replied and he could almost hear the smirk in her programmed voice.

* * *

Nora slept through the day and well into the evening before Nick gently woke her.

"Hey, Doll." His hand gently smoothed the stray wisps of hair that that curled around her temples and then let his fingers run across her scalp and through her thick hair.

"Mmmm." Nora murmured in appreciation. "What time is it?"

"A little after six. You should probably get up, eat, and then we're going out."

"Oh? Where are we going?" Nora asked with a sleepy smirk

"You have a standing appointment with Dr. Sun at six-thirty to check out your broken ribs." He replied and rose from the bed. "And before you even begin to protest, I have no problems carrying you there."

Nora opened one eye and pouted, "You drive a hard bargain there Valentine."

"That's _Detective_ Valentine to you," He smirked and sauntered downstairs.

Nora groaned and gritted her teeth against the pain when she stood up. Her muscles felt better, but the dull throbbing beneath her breast told her that there was indeed something wrong. She held tightly onto the metal handrail as she slowly descended the stairs.

Nick stood near the bottom and watched her carefully. He took in every hitch of breath, every wince of pain, and every time Nora gritted her teeth against the pain like he was trying to ascertain what exactly happened when the deathclaw attacked her.

She exhaled in relief once her bare feet reached the cold, smooth concrete floor. Her bag and her boots were pushed against the wall and a small cup that had steam wafting from the liquid and a bowl of noodles sat at the cluttered desk.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted to take a chance with some locally-grown Diamond City tea. Feel free to leave it if its not that good. I was never a fan of tea back when …" Nick faltered and looked embarrassed. "Well, let's just say Pre-War Nick was on a coffee and sandwich diet most of his life."

Nora saw the pained expression in his face when he mentioned his Pre-War counterpart. The same expression passed across his face when he mentioned a woman named Jenny. She couldn't fathom how confusing it would be to have the memories of a life that you've never lived embedded into your head.

Nora drank the tea and ate the noodles in silence. While she ate, Nick pursued over the same thick file that he had out he evening before. Again, his brow furrowed and he muttered comments quietly underneath his breath.

"It looks like you've been keeping yourself busy while I was gone." Nora replied, "Are you working on a new case?"

"Something like that." He replied vaguely. "It's a cold case, but it's been haunting me for a while."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Nora offered.

"Appreciate the gesture, Doll, but I'm mostly grasping at straws right now. Besides, you have an appointment to meet." Nick held out a hand to help her up which she took gratefully.

"I was hoping you'd forget." She grumbled.

"Nope." He replied with a grin and helped Nora get her shoes on. He held the door open for her and Nora slowly emerged into the alleyway. Each step felt like she was being stabbed in her side and she had to stop several times just to catch her breath.

During the short journey, Nora noticed how many Diamond City residence muttered and whispered under their breath as Nick passed by Takahashi's stand. They shot wary looks at the both of them and she even heard a man mutter under his breath something that sounded like "filthy fetish."

"Ignore 'em, Doll." Nick whispered in her ear. Nora scowled but not for the reason that Nick probably thought. She went to college to become a lawyer and having insults hurled at her was par for the course. Coupled with her elopement with Nate and being a military wife during a national antimilitary sentiment, she heard more than her fair share of insults. She could handle them, but she saw that Nick looked wounded by the whispers and the sneers from the crowd. So she decided to really give Diamond City something to talk about.

"Hey, Valentine." Her voice seemed to vibrate with defiance, "I distinctly remember you threatening to carry me to Dr. Sun's. I hate to say it, but my injuries are much too serious for me to walk any farther."

His eyes searched hers for reassurance and to verify that Nora wasn't making a cruel joke as well. "Doll, I think that's innapropriate now."

"That's the point." Nora replied. "These assholes want to run their mouths, then let's give them something to really talk about."

Nick still hesitated but then scooped Nora up into his arms. The movement was fast and abrupt and the sharp pain stole her breath from her lungs. Nevertheless, her ploy worked. The man at Takahashi's stand stood up in shock and overturned his plate of noodles onto his own lap.

Nick's jaw was set firmly in a frown. He was use to the Diamond City locals glowering or spitting at him as he passed. He experienced almost sixty years of their bigoted attitudes and he usually deflected them with his wry, sarcastic humor. However, he hated the idea that Nora was being implicated for associating with him.

When they reached Dr. Sun's small office, Nick gently put Nora back on her feet and knocked on the metal door.

"We're closed." A gruff voice responded.

"It's Valentine." He replied back. "I'm calling in that favor."

The door opened quickly and Dr. Sun and he saw Nora's pallor and pained expression. "Oh no. I saved her life once already. Piper has yet to pay me for the first time."

"It wont take long." Nick replied briskly, "She's got a few broken ribs. We need some stimpacks and some Med-X."

"You're calling in a favor for a few broken ribs?" Sun replied in disbelief. "The last time I saw her, she was trying to bleed out on Diamond City's doorsteps."

"I was attacked by raiders." Nora pointed out. "If you don't want to take care of people, then why'd you become a doctor?"

"Give me a sick kid, an expectant mother, or even an ailing grandparent and I'm your man." Dr. Sun replied narrowing his eyes at Nora's judgement, "What I hate seeing is perfectly able bodied people walking out into the wastes unprepared and then expect me to patch them up for free."

"Would you just look at her and stop flapping your jaw? You owed me a favor, remember?" Nick growled out in irritation.

Dr. Sun pursed his lips and then beckoned them both into the small metal building. The interior was sparsely decorated and was equally divided into a medical area where two hospital gurneys sat and a living area where a small cot was pushed into the far corner.

"Sit here and remove your shirt." Dr. Sun ordered and gestured to the nearest gurney.

"Is that really necessary? I'm not wearing a bra." Nora replied sheepishly.

"I've seen breasts before." Dr. Sun replied flippantly.

Nick figured that this was his cue to leave and cleared his throat, "I'll just go wait outside."

"No!" Nora replied. She couldn't bear to be alone with Dr. Sun. He already proved himself to be an asshole, and although he wasn't giving off any creepy vibes, she didn't want to chance it.

"Nick, just stay here but turn around."

"I can leave …"

"No! Please stay." She replied. Nick heard the panic in her voice and knew that she wasn't playing games or trying to be funny.

"Alright, Doll." He turned his back to both of them and faced the corner like a child in time-out.

Dr. Sun rolled his eyes and grabbed a pair of doctor's gloves from a drawer. He washed his hands with purified water and soap while Nora quickly unbuttoned the shirt Nick had given her and held it across her exposed breasts to preserve some modestly.

"So what exactly happened? How did you sustain these injuries?"

Nora briefly recounted the tale with the deathclaw but most of her memories were hazy due to the radiation that she took on. After he drew some blood and visually examined the large yellow and black bruise that had formed above Nora's stomach, he uncapped a stimpack and injected it into her tender flesh. She whimpered in pain when the needle pierced her skin.

"I can't do anything about the broken ribs — stimpacks heal internal injuries by stimulating cellular development in soft tissue — but I'll give you one dose of Med-X for the pain. Don't take it all at once. Try to space it out because I'm not prescribing you another. Med-X is highly addictive.

He gave her a capped syringe full of purple liquid and then instructed her to put he shirt back on. Nora hastily dressed and gave Nick the okay to turn around. Dr. Sun gently examined the bruise that was beginning to form at her temple and then performed some simple reflex and response tests.

He shined a bright penlight into her eyes and she shrieked away in pain.

"What the fuck?" She gasped as pain crackled through her entire skull.

"As I suspected," Dr. Sun said, "You also have a moderate concussion."

"I know you wont listen to me, but I suggest you take it easy for a while. Don't go fighting any more wasteland creatures, limit your alcohol intake, and don't go running through the Commonwealth without knowing what you're getting into."

Nora wanted to roll her eyes and explain that she couldn't just sit around and wait while her son was imprisoned in the Institute, but the pain that throbbed behind her eyes shut her up.

"I'll watch out for her." Nick replied and offered her a helping hand off the gurney.

Dr. Sun glowered at both of them and nearly pushed them out of the door without a word. When the metal door slammed closed, Nora looked at Nick warily, "What favor did you just cash in for me? I seriously hope this was worth it."

"Dr. Sun wasn't always this …"

"… much of an asshole?" Nora finished for him.

"Right," Nick replied with a smirk, "He had a partner, see. Dr. Crocker did facial reconstruction surgery out of the same office. I think Sun always resented Crocker because his practice was far more lucrative. Vanity usually outweighs altruism, especially in our world."

Nick and Nora walked arm and arm down the alleyway. The evening was comfortable, but the air was heavy with an oncoming radstorm. "So, what happened to Crocker?"

"One night, I'm following a lead on a missing person in the city here, and I notice a trail of blood running to the Doc's cellar. So, I throw the hatch open and descend the ladder to find good ol' Doc Crocker operating on my missing person as though he was acting in a B-horror movie. That's when I realize that my missing person was now a murder victim. Crocker was performing his own Frankenstein experiments on his facial reconstruction patients."

"Oh my God." Nora breathed out in horror. "Then why the hell did you bring me there?"

"Dr. Sun was innocent of it all, Doll." Nick urged. "He is a good man. Truly. Before this scandal, he was well respected in town here. But many people assumed that Crocker's sins stained Sun's practice as well. I couldn't even read that bastard his rights before he blasted himself in the face with a .44. Sun needs business otherwise he'll be out on the street in a matter of months. Yet, he wont accept charity. I think he finds it hypocritical after what happened with the ghouls."

Nick let go of Nora's arm to open his office door. She followed him inside and kicked off her shoes in the corner.

"But anyway, enough of that horror story for now. C'mere and let me help you with the Med-X."

Nora took a seat in the chair and held out her arm. Nick held out a short span of surgical tubing and tied it firmly around her arm like a tourniquet. "You should probably take a half-dose now to see how you feel."

"I'm impressed but I'm also concerned with how adept you are at applying tourniquets." Nora remarked. "Not that I don't appreciate the hel;, doing this on my own would suck, but this seems more like a skill Hancock would have."

Nick shrugged but didn't meet Nora's gaze. "You learn to pick up some odd skills when you've been in my kind of work for so long."

Nick uncapped the syringe with his teeth and felt Nora tense up in fear. "It's alright, Doll. I'll be gentle. So you never told me what information you learned from this Virgil. Did you find out how to get into the Institute?"

Nora winced when the needle entered her vein but immediately relaxed when the Med-X entered her bloodstream. She could understand why people would become addicted to it. She felt awesome. She felt like she could run a marathon.

"I have some blueprints in my bag. I have to build something called a molecular relay, but I have no technical know-how. Hancock said that he'd look into this organization called the Railroad. I've never heard of these people before, but Hancock told me that there's a guy there who is a mad genius and knows a lot about technology. So I guess I'm back in the weeds."

Nick deftly untied the tourniquet and gently massaged the injection site with his thumb. "Don't worry, Doll. We'll figure something out."

Nick swabbed the needle with antiseptic and then replaced the cap on the syringe. Then he grabbed some purified water and handed it to her. "Drink some of this so you don't dehydrate."

"Nick, please. You're acting like my mother." Nora grumbled, yet she took the water and drank greedily from the can.

"So, where do we go from here?" Nora asked. She had postponed this conversation for long enough. "You agreed to help me track down my son. I know how to get to him, I just don't know how to build the infernal machine. I'd say this case is closed."

She handed him a tin box full of caps, "Here's for your services. I don't know what your rate usually goes, but I can pay the rest off later."

"Nora, I can't take your money." Nick protested and pushed the tin back into her hands. "Consider springing me from Skinny Malone's clutches a fair trade."

"Ellie already paid me for that job." She countered and then bristled at Hancock's comment back in Goodneighbor. Of course, he'd be right about Nick and his chivalry, she thought. "It's not equal; just take the money."

"No."

"Now who's being absurd and difficult!"

Nick rose from the chair but Nora rose too. She wasn't going to let him win this.

"No, Nora. I'm serious." His eyes blazed with intensity, but Nora couldn't pinpoint if it was out of anger or something else.

"Why? What is wrong with you? You've been nothing but wonderful ever since I met you. You deserve this. I don't care what you do with it. Hell, give it to Dr. Sun if you want."

"I don't want your money, Nora." Nick bit out. The rolling sound of thunder interrupted their conversation. Nora saw that Nick was serious. Yet he looked agitated and on edge; his mechanical hand gripped the corner of his desk like he was trying to keep himself from doing something rash.

"Then what do you want?" Nora urged.

Nick waited a full three seconds before he responded, but in those three seconds Nora finally saw the true feelings of the man behind the mechanical mask.

Nick grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into him. His lips crushed against hers firmly and Nora felt herself melt into him. An electric shock went from here lips to her core which took the breath from her lungs.

Nick broke away first and his breath came out in shudders. His fingers trembled against Nora's skin and he looked almost fearful. "I — I'm sorry. Shit, Nora I —"

Nora silenced him with a kiss of her own. Her hand briefly caressed the ruined skin near his jaw. Her breath was warm and her lips were soft. When she broke the kiss, Nick's eyes were still closed and he rested his forehead against hers. He couldn't bear to open his eyes; he didn't deserve the woman in front of him, and he feared that all of this was just a malfunction of his already addled brain.

"Nick, look at me." Nora whispered. Her voice was like a ray of sunshine that broke through the grey clouds. His eyes opened and her green ones looked back at him. She beamed and blushed. She bit her lip in uncertainty and grinned. "I've been wanting to do that for a while."

"Re-really." Nick croaked out. He didn't care that his voice cracked like a pre-pubescent teenager. He couldn't care about much of anything besides the woman in his arms.

"Yeah, I just didn't want this to be innapropriate. What with me being your client, and with me mourning my late husband. I hope this isn't too fast."

"No. I—I've come to see you as more than just my client. I'd be bold enough to say that you're my friend."

"Is — Is that all we are?" Nora replied breathlessly.

"That all depends on you, Doll. But I usually don't go kissing my friends like this." He replied. Nora felt his hands trembling and his eyes full of uncertainty. She wanted to somehow kiss all of his insecurities away.

"Well, here's a clue, Detective. I would hate it if we were just friends." She replied and drew him in for another kiss. This time she grabbed the blue silk tie around his neck and pulled him to her again. "Kiss me again."

Nick complied without hesitation, but the third round was more aggressive. His kiss was more assertive and his tongue gently caressed over hers. His hand was buried in her hair while his other metal hand gently palmed her breast over her clothes. When they broke away, Nora was panting and she saw fear, uncertainty, and guilt in Nick's eyes. His mouth was still slightly parted; the words that he wanted to say died on his lips. What if she pushed him away? What if she laughed at him and at the absurdity of this moment. Inflammatory and taunting thoughts raced through his mind.

Nora bit her lip and blushed. Her body felt feverish. She wanted to drag Nick up the rickety metal stairs and have her way with him on his bed, but his trembling told her that she should let him take the lead.

"Hey Valentine," She purred.

"Yeah, Doll?" His voice sounded an octave higher.

"You're not gonna break me, you know." She smirked at him.

The fourth time, Nick pressed into her body and quickened his assault on her lips until they were rosy and swollen. He hooked his hands beneath her thighs and lifted her onto his desk. His papers and files fell off the desk into a pile, but he didn't care. Nick's hand snuck up underneath her shirt and palmed her breast. She bucked against him when his metal thumb ghosted over her nipple. Her head spun with arousal and she couldn't articulate the words that she wanted to say next.

Nick broke the kiss and looked at her worried that it was too much, too fast. He withdrew his hand and placed it safely on her hip. "I'm sorry, Doll. I'll slow down. I — uh, don't know what's gotten into me."

"Don't you dare." She replied. His silk tie was creased from her firm grip, so she grabbed his starched collar and began to undo the buttons beneath his tie. "If I had my way, you'd be fucking out my brains until I begged you to stop."

He closed his eyes as that mental image nearly electrocuted his brain. Mistaking his hesitation as trepidation, Nora added "but I don't want to scare you away if you're not ready for that."

Nick put his forehead against hers and closed his eyes for a moment. His fans and servos whirled quietly which broke up the heated silence. He took a few calming breaths and tried to rationalize the situation before him. If this is what humans felt like all of the time, then he understood how his clients could so easily cave in to their baser emotions. These desires and feelings were not programmed in, Nick realized, he was reacting purely on human instinct and that scared the shit outta him. He'd contemplate the philosophy behind those words when he didn't have a panting vixen in his arms.

"Nora, I—I've never done this before. Human Nick has but most of his memories are flashes of feeling and images. I don't know if this is even possible for me."

"I'm not going to force you into something that you don't want." Nora replied with a frown.

"But, I do want this." Nick insisted. "God, I —"

"Then, I can direct you. I'll lead you." She suggested. She tried to remain encouraging but her arousal-clouded brain wasn't below begging if that is what satisfied the roaring fire inside of her.

He swallowed thickly and cupped her face with a trembling hand. His eyes were full of sadness and regret. There it was, the cold shock of regret and fear.

"I'm — I can't please you." He replied miserably.

"You're doing a damn good job of it right now, and we're both still clothed." Nora pointed out.

"The Institute never equipped me with …" He looked down at his trousers bitterly. "I'm not a man Nora, I'm a synth and I'm not even a complete one at that." He gestured to his tattered neck and his ruined hand.

Nora cupped his hands in hers and smiled gently. "We'll make do with what we have. You have dexterous fingers and a smart mouth and I plan to make use of both."

Nick wanted to growl in lust at her candidness but instead ground his pelvis into hers as if to make it a point to have her feel the part that he was lacking.

Nora kissed him again but smiled as she did so. Her smile held a secret and it was teasing him. She undid his tie quickly and dropped the silk next to her on the desk. Her hands glided over his white button down shirt and began popping the lower buttons apart with her deft fingers. The office's cool air met his chest and he helped her pull out the fabric that was tucked in his trousers. His chest, like the rest of him, was a greyish tinge and nearly looked blue underneath the dim lights. Thankfully the synthetic skin on his chest had faired better than the stuff on his neck or hand. Parts were marred with scars and gouges from bullets, but the rest of his body conformed to that of a human male.

Her warm hands rubbed across his chest and the warmth bloomed in his skin. Nick sighed contentedly which encouraged Nora to go further.

"Do you like this?" She asked.

Nick nodded, "I think I should help even the score here, Doll."

"Go right ahead." She replied cheekily and sat back while still caressing his chest and shoulders.

"I'm gonna need a little time to concentrate here." He replied as his head swam when her fingers ghosted over his right nipple. He never knew that location could be just as arousing for men as it was for women.

"You don't need to concentrate, Nick. You just need to feel it. React to it. This isn't like hacking a terminal." She replied.

He grunted an unintelligible response and pulled off her shirt without bothering to unbutton it. Her skin was the color of cream, but just above her pubic bone, a pink scar stretched four inches wide and his hand gently ghosted over it as though he was atoning for the pain that it once gave her.

"What happened?" He murmured.

Nora smiled but it held a twinge of melancholy, "That's a story for another time. It happened a long time ago."

"I — I'm sorry." He muttered. He wasn't even sure what he was sorry for, but he felt that it was something he needed to say.

Nora dismissed it with a good natured smile and a wave of her hand. She snaked her hand up his back and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "So Mister Valentine, shall we migrate upstairs to your bed or are we going to do this right here in your office. As hot as that sounds, I don't think Ellie would be pleased to know that you fucked me on her desk."

"Let's go upstairs." he replied. Ellie would dismantle him for spare parts if she discovered that they did that anywhere near her desk.

"Perfect." She purred. "I'll follow your lead then."

Nick gently took her hand and led her into the small hallway and up the metal stairs. Nora crawled onto the bed, sat on her knees, and motioned for Nick to join her. The bed sank slightly with his weight Nick couldn't look away from Nora but also was afraid that she would shriek away in terror if he touched her.

Nora cupped his face in her hands and gave him another kiss, this time tender, patient, and slow. Her breasts grazed against his chest and her erect nipples ghosted over his skin. Nick's hand gently palmed one of them and he gently pushed Nora down onto her back. He broke the kiss and trailed feather-light caresses and nips down her neck until he reached an erect pink nub.

His lips gently circled her nipple and his tongue swiped over it a couple of times in quick succession. Nora's breathy panting and her body jerking into his urged him to keep going. He pulled his lips off her breast with a light 'pop' and continued his oral ministrations down her stomach and paused when he reached her skirt.

"How — you're ah — " Nora panted out, but the words failed to form in her arousal-clouded mind.

"Quiet, Doll. I'm concentrating. Unfortunately, that's all the memories that I have from past Nick. I'm flying solo from here." He sounded amused and Nora wasn't inclined to take him seriously until she saw his face. His brows were creased in deep concentration as though he was trying to remember the next part of a song that was on the tip of his tongue.

"Nick, take my skirt off and I'll guide you through the rest." She encouraged, her voice sounded breathier than she would've liked.

Nick swallowed thickly, his fingers hooked onto the fabric and pulled the skirt past her hips and down her calfs. The cool air met her damp slit and a cold tingle went up her spine.

"Here, follow my lead." She whispered and took his hand and gently guided it to her pussy. His skin felt different than hers, thicker and less pliant, but her hips still bucked when he grazed over her clit.

Nick gently swiped over the small bundle of nerves before he gently inserted a finger inside her. Nora's eyes rolled back and her back arched into him. He inserted a second one and slowly ran the tips of his fingers along her upper walls in an alternating pattern while his thumb gently grazed over her clit.

"Nick! Fuck, I —" Nora couldn't formulate coherent thoughts. She wanted to say everything that was on her mind, but none of her thoughts or emotions could be translated into anything more sophisticated than a simple curse word.

"What else do you like?" He murmured. He planted gentle kisses on her hip bone and on the pale pink scar that crossed her pelvis.

"Use … ah, use your mouth on me. If — If you want." She panted and blushed. She always hated asking Nate to go down on her. He did so because he loved her, but he never really enjoyed that particular sex act.

Nick withdrew his fingers and hooked both hands underneath Nora's thighs and pulled her closer to him. He was timid at first; Nora guided him with breathy compliments of "right there" and "don't stop," but he soon felt confident enough to add in some gentle penetration as he sucked and laved over her clit.

Nora felt herself quick approaching the cliff; after over 200 years of forced celibacy she simultaneously thanked and cursed her body for being overly responsive.

"Nick, shit I'm — I'm gonna," But Nora's words turned into a silent moan as she felt herself crest the cliff and fall into the abyss. She cried out in a long, keening moan and reveled in the base, primal mindset that her orgasm helped her achieve. At that moment, nobody and nothing else was of importance to her animal brain. She felt completely at peace.

Nick's fingers ghosted over her skin and she twitched and jerked away at his ministrations. He let out a smoky chuckle and felt him move over the top of her body. His lips kissed their way up her belly, over her breasts, and bit lightly at her neck. His final kiss was gentle and it tasted of her. Nora pressed herself into Nick's partially nude body and relished the heat that he gave off.

"Was that alright?" Nick replied quietly, still insecure and unsure.

"Are you kidding?" Nora replied. She opened her eyes and turned to look at Nick. "You are amazing."

She settled into his arms and let her hands graze down his chest as she memorized every bullet wound and torn up bit of skin like she was reading braille off his body.

"Do you feel my touch?" She asked curiously. "Like does it feel like anything you remember or is it different?"

Nick cocked his eyebrow at the question. He couldn't describe the feeling of human touch and how it affected him. Logically, he knew it was all operated via electrical stimulation and impulses located beneath his skin. But he also knew that this need and desire to be next to Nora after they had sex wasn't from a computer program — it was instinct, natural, and something ingrained in his robotic brain. Yet, that couldn't be right. Robots didn't act on instinct, they acted on orders.

"I guess it feels like normal. Your touch tickles and it's warm. I can feel the callous on your palm from your gun."

Nora bit her lip and moved her hand along his stomach and down to the top of his trousers. Nick stiffened at her touch and gently placed his hand over hers. "Doll, there's nothing for you there. I'm sorry. I told you, I'm missing a few parts."

Nora backed off and ran her hand along Nick's chest and snaked it around his neck to give him a chaste kiss. "It's okay, you know. I'm missing parts too."

She took his hand and guided it down over the pink scar that was above the fine layer of hair that led to her sex.

"You asked me about this earlier." She replied. "The topic isn't exactly upbeat but…"

'I'm sorry I asked." Nick replied. "I didn't mean to drudge up old wounds."

"No, it's okay. I want to share this with you. When I was pregnant with Shaun I had some complications with the pregnancy. He was born six weeks premature and the doctor performed an emergency surgery to remove him. Yet, once Shaun was removed my body wouldn't stop hemorrhaging blood and the doctor decided to remove everything else too.

Nick didn't need for her to spell it out any clearer. Shan was the only child Nora could ever have. He stroked her arm as though he was trying to comfort an long-healed bruise and felt foolish for doing so.

"So, you're not the only one missing parts to yourself." She replied with a sad smile, "But that doesn't make us any less of a person, nor does it you."

Nick still didn't seem convinced, but didn't want to ruin Nora's post-coital glow with his insecurities. He drew Nora into his arms and pulled the wool blanket around her naked body. She fell into a deep sleep and Nick spent half the night studying the laugh lines, burgeoning wrinkles and beautiful features of her face. Nick's tried to reconcile the logistics of synth sex and sexuality with the memories and desires that he still had from Pre-War Nick.

He knew that all Gen-1 and Gen-2 synths were asexual, or at least, no sexual activity was reported between a synth and a human before. Yet, Nick _felt_ something with Nora. He felt something that even Pre-War Nick didn't have with Jenny. However, Nick was no closer to unraveling the puzzle when the sound of Ellie's keys jingled in the lock downstairs.


	13. Follow You Anywhere

Chapter 13: Follow You Anywhere

Nick heard Ellie's keys jingle as she unlocked the door to the agency. Being careful to not disturb Nora, he slipped out of bed and hastily pulled on his shirt and did up the buttons. He looked around frantically for his tie until he realized that it was still on the desk downstairs.

He quickly and quietly descended the stairs and hoped that Ellie was already occupied with her daily routine of making tea and filing paperwork. Thankfully her back was to him which gave him the chance to grab the blue silk that was laying across the desk like a ribbon.

He snatched the fabric and retreated into the bathroom to straighten his appearance. He tucked his shirt into his trousers and did up the tie so it hung loosely around his neck.

When he came out of the bathroom, he got started on the papers that had been knocked off the table from their passionate entanglement.

"Mornin' Ellie." He replied nonchalantly.

"Morning Nick." She replied back cheerily without taking her eyes off the files in the filing cabinet. "Hey, what were you up to last night? There were files and papers thrown all over the place."

Her voice sounded innocuous, but then again, Ellie wasn't a naive woman; she was probably saving him the embarrassment of a direct accusation. Nevertheless, Nick couldn't come outright and say it yet.

"I - uh." He coughed out but couldn't think up a good enough excuse to replace his stammering.

"Is Nora upstairs? I noticed her bag over in the corner. How is she feeling after her excursion to the Glowing Sea? God, imagine going there. I get startled by the occasional radroach; the creatures she saw out there were probably monstrous!"

Ellie's idle chatter washed over him and he let her prattle on. She was always good with keeping a conversation going, even if Nick wasn't in the mood to be loquacious.

Once everything was straightened up in the office, Nick opened a pack of cigarettes, fished one out, and lit it. He took a few drags and let the smoke waft up to the ceiling in a grey haze. Ellie tutted disapprovingly.

"Oh Nick, when are you gonna give that up? I can't imagine the smoke being all that good for your lungs, even if you are a synth."

Nick grinned and took another long drag just to spite her. This was their daily dance; Nick would come downstairs, tidy up a bit, enjoy a cigarette or three, and start on the cases for the day.

However, a new element had stepped onto the dance floor and she was a woman who Nick admired more than Ellie. Dammit, he knew he needed to come out with it.

Yet, how would Ellie react? He knew she harbored a slight crush on him. He did everything he could to draw the line firmly in their relationship, but he now felt like a hypocrite. He rejected the advances of one woman only to bring another one into his bed years later.

He cleared his throat and leaned up against his desk, "So El, I need to level with you. —"

"I know about you and Nora, Nick." She replied in a matter-of fact tone.

"What? How?"

Nick suddenly felt like a criminal who had the rug pulled out from under him. He was damned either way.

"Oh Nick, you can't think I'm that blind? I've been helping you with cases for the past eight years. I see the way you look at Nora. You've never looked at another dame that way - including me. Then when I come in to find papers strewn about the floor, it doesn't take a detective to piece together what happened last night."

Ellie's knowing smile would've caused Nick to flush from embarrassment, but instead he couldn't make eye contact.

"I — um," Nick tripped over his own tongue and glowered at his own awkwardness. "Damn it El — I feel like a cad here. Years ago, I told you that we couldn't work because I didn't have those urges or desires, and here I am now with a woman upstairs in my bed."

When Ellie spoke, her voice didn't hold the edge of resentment or the burning restraint of anger; her voice was light and calm. "Nick. Have you changed your mind about how you feel about me?"

"No El, I haven't." The truth didn't make him feel any less guilty.

"Then I don't see the problem." She rationalized. "Just because you don't have a desire to be with me doesn't mean you don't have desires at all. I'll tell you until I'm blue in the face: you're much more human than you let on. Besides, I'm sure I'm not the first secretary whose ever come to work to find her boss had relations with a client."

"She's not my client anymore but point taken." He mumbled hastily. For once, he was thankful that he couldn't blush. This entire conversation would've made him beat red.

"Oh Nick." She chuckled.

Ellie, like Nora, was a rare kind of person in the Commonwealth. He never met a woman who could look past so many of a man's flaws and still see the good in him. Ellie really did deserve a raise.

Finding his voice again, he said "This is awfully big of you El. I appreciate you understanding."

She brushed his compliment off with a dismissive wave of her hand, "That's not necessary, Nick. Besides, I think it's sweet — you and her. It makes sense, doesn't it? You're both Pre-War, you both are a little old fashioned, and you're a good man who needs a good woman lookin' out for him."

"Now go wake her up." Ellie replied with a slight stern expression. "I'm taking her to get some proper clothes. God knows you probably have her dressed in whatever mismatched things you found in the laundry. And you, Mr. Valentine, are going to get to work on some of those cases that have been piling up. We have bills to pay and the forced vacation with Skinny Malone did nothing to help keep the lights on in here."

"Yes ma'am." Nick gave a salute with his metal hand and clambered up the steps.

Upstairs, the room was dark and Nora was breathing evenly and deeply. Her hair was curled and matted from sleep, but her face was relaxed. Nick sat on the edge of the bed and gently brushed his good hand along her bare back. He traced from her shoulder and ran his fingers along her shoulder blades until the blanket stopped him around her mid back. He repeated the ministrations several times until she slowly roused from sleep.

"Good morning." She murmured with a sleepy smile and rolled over to face him.

"Mornin' Doll." He replied.

"I heard Ellie come in this morning. Does she know that I'm here, or do I need to sneak out your balcony?" She asked.

"No, you're fine. That woman knew more about us than I thought. She's smart as a whip and apparently I have a poor poker face when it comes to you. In fact, she has some errands that she wants to run with you while I catch up on some work that I've missed."

Nora smirked, "Errands, huh? That's not some euphemism is it? She's not going to take me out back and shoot me is she?"

"No." Nick chuckled. "I think she just wants to get to know you. You're the first person I've ever — " He cleared his throat awkwardly, "— brought home. But you need to get dressed first."

Nora sat up in the bed and pushed the blanket off to the side. Nick averted his eyes at her nude body and felt a twinge of shame rise in his stomach. Maybe she was too good for him. Nora was beautiful and he was willing to count last night as a fluke if she happened to change her mind about their relationship.

"Nick." Nora said gently. "Look at me."

His yellow eyes met hers and she gave him a small smile, "We can't take back last night. But if this isn't working for you, all you gotta do is tell me."

Nick shook his head in disbelief and amazement as he gave himself permission to let his eyes wander across her entire body. He almost couldn't believe that he had this gorgeous creature arched wantonly beneath him and had his name spill from her lips as she climaxed.

"It's not that, Doll. I'm just having a hard time sorting out all of these thoughts. I have an awful lot of demons to contend with up here" — he pointed at his temple — "but it's been ages since I've had an angel to help me take my mind off of them."

Nora rolled her eyes at the cheesy line and scoffed but grinned despite herself. She pulled on the large button up shirt before she put a finger underneath his chin and tilted his face to meet hers.

"If you ever need reassurance that last night wasn't a mistake, just let me know. I'd be happy to scream your name some more."

Nick's breath hitched in his chest and his expression turned heated. "You say some scandalous things, Doll."

"Well here's one more scandalous thing." Nora smiled and gave him a quick kiss. "Nick, you are amazing; I'm just sorry that you need to be convinced of that."

Nora pulled on the old skirt and then pulled Nick up to a stand. He gently brushed his lips against her temple and then brushed them against her lips. His kiss was gentle and tender and Nora hated to break away.

"Now go on, or neither of us will get anything done today." Nick urged.

Nora smirked and tied her hair back into a loose bun before she descended the stairs. Nick watched Nora leave and sat in the quiet darkness with his melancholy thoughts. As soon as she was gone, Nick tried to stand but found that his legs wouldn't obey his commands.

The sound of Ellie's and Nora's voices met his ears and the scene before him changed suddenly. Nick felt his grip on reality slipping away, and he could do nothing except endure the onslaught of memories that flooded his system.

 _You're too hard on yourself, Nick._ A lovely soprano voice replied quietly. He could feel her arms around his and the warmth of her naked body against his back.

"I — I just can't stand the idea that you're suffering because of me." Nick replied. His voice sounded strange, like an echo. The timbre in his voice was slightly off and he spoke in a higher tenor than his typical baritone. The words spilled out of his mouth before he could catch himself.

 _I'm hardly suffering, darling. I knew what I signed up for when I agreed to marry the most well-known cop in all of Boston. Being in the limelight is a hazard of the job isn't it?_

Nick tried to grab for the phantom's hand but felt nothing except the thick wool blanket that was crumpled on the bed. Then, like being broken from a trance, Nick jolted from his seat like the bed had shocked him. He was panting and he could no longer hear voices downstairs.

"Jenny." He whispered. His voice broke through the unquiet darkness like a silent prayer.

* * *

The two women wandered through the bright alleyway as they departed the Dugout Inn. They paid Scarlet nearly forty caps to do their laundry and Vadim tossed her a package of Fancy Lad Snack Cakes with a wink.

"Don't ask." Nora smirked at Ellie's curiosity. "Vadim owes Travis and I about one hundred favors after what we did for him."

Nora and Ellie fell into an easy conversation as they weaved through the throngs of people in the Marketplace. They had more in common than she originally thought; they both were the only child in their family and they both had close relationships with their mothers.

Stories flowed freely between the two: Ellie shared with her that she once had a rebellious streak and found a can of red paint and graffitied a few rude words on the Wall. Nora responded with anecdotes of her own about her father's fondness for collecting baseball cards and about Nate's closeted love for scrapbooking.

Talking with Ellie about Nate felt refreshing. It was like she was opening a window to a stuffy room after a long, cold winter. Her memories weren't tinged with despair and anger but with nostalgia and wistful love. Although her burgeoning relationship with Nick was another big step in accepting Nate's death, she never actually shared memories about her husband that weren't related to his murder.

Ellie smirked, almost in disbelief, when Nora told her about meeting up with Nate for a late night baseball game. Of course, she didn't mention the time they snuck off during the top of the sixth inning to rendezvous beneath the bleachers. Apparently people around Diamond City were under the impression that baseball was a violent, gladiatorial sport where people were beaten to death with baseball bats, and she was happy to set Ellie straight.

She could understand how a woman like Ellie was a good match as Nick's friend. She had a sharp wit that was tempered by a good-natured smile. People in Diamond City greeted her with a warm smile and a friendly wave and her connection with the owner of Fallon's basement helped ease Nora's introduction with the nervous woman.

"Barbara's my aunt." Ellie explained in Nora's ear. "My uncle disappeared ten years ago, soon after the Broken Mask incident, and she's been a bit paranoid ever since."

"What's the Broken Mask incident?" Nora asked curiously.

"It happened quite a long time ago. One day a drifter who had rolled into town a month prior went insane and began shooting people in the Marketplace. His eyes seemed to glow an infernal red color and other witnesses claimed they could see sparks coming out of his ears. It took four guards to take him out but not until six people were killed and many others were injured. Ever since then, the folks here have been slow to trust strangers again."

"And for good reason" Barbara replied darkly, "Who's to say that you won't malfunction and start killing us all?"

"But I'm not a synth." Nora reasoned. She felt pity for the woman whose eyes flitted between the two woman like a nervous animal anticipating an attack.

"Sure you're not. That's exactly what a synth would say." She snapped. "But I'd risk you attacking if it means caps in my pocket. Now, are you buyin' anything? We ain't a charity."

Ellie ushered Nora into the basement shop and gave her aunt a sympathetic pat on her arm as she passed by. The basement was cluttered but well lit. Among the tables that seemed to groan under the weight from the piles of clothing, there was a dressing partition stationed in the back corner to act as a substitute dressing room.

Clothes shopping in a post-nuclear world was an unexpected challenge for Nora. Prior to the war, she was often too busy to bother with anything other than the standard dark, nondescript, shapeless business suits, but that didn't mean she was ignorant about fashion. Yet, Fallon's Basement was full of bright clothes and all fabrics. While most were worn and had minor tears or imperfections, much of what was displayed was good quality for the price.

With Ellie's help, she found some worn traveling clothes: blue jeans, a plain grey t-shirt, and ankle high boots. She happily passed up on a leather jacket that had a crudely bejeweled snake that was missing some rhinestones.

"Nora, you have to try this dress on." Ellie exclaimed and nearly pushed her behind the partition. Before Nora could slip off her shoes, a swath of fabric landed on her head. The fabric was a lovely teal color and it smelled freshly laundered. She pulled the dress over her head and slipped her arms through the short sleeves. The entire dress was made out of a thick lace and the hem reached her mid-knee. She reached behind her back and pulled the zipper up and padded barefooted to a cracked full length mirror.

"So. Whatd'ya think?"

Nora was speechless. She turned sideways and then faced the mirror scrutinizing her reflection. The short sleeves hung slightly off her shoulders but the neckline remained conservative by dipping no lower than her collar bones.

"Here, try this." Ellie replied, breaking her from her thoughts. She slipped a thin brown belt around her waist and cinched it so it pulled in the excess fabric which then helped highlight her bust.

"It's gorgeous, Ellie. I'm amazed that something this pristine survived this long." Nora admired how the fabric swirled around her legs when she turned quickly from side to side. She resisted the impulse to spin around and squeal like a little girl.

"The dress isn't Pre War. My mom made it. She and Barbra went into business together; my mom was the seamstress while my Barbra handled the financial aspects of the business. This was the last dress she made before she passed away. Although it's not for sale, I want you to borrow it for tonight."

"Tonight? What's tonight?" Nora asked.

"You and Nick are going on a date." She replied with a smile. Nora could read between the lines enough to know that Ellie was setting them up.

"You don't have to set Nick and I up, you know." Nora said.

"Nora, I've known Nick for most of my life and I've worked for him for nearly eight years now. You two may have slept together, but I know he's back at the office right now brooding about whether he's enough for you."

Nora looked at her incredulously. She had enough sense to know not to feel jealous, but she was amazed at Ellie's perceptiveness. "You think that Nick is doubting our relationship?"

The woman bit her lip and helped Nora unzip the back of the dress. "Nora, look at it from his perspective. He's a synth with the memories of a red-blooded, Pre War man implanted into his brain. Wouldn't you be confused too if you couldn't decide if your feeling for a woman were purely just commands that were programmed into your brain based off long ago memories, or if your feelings were authentic and human. He's having a hard time determining if his feelings for you are just a combination of ones and zeros telling him how to act, or if his love for you is real."

"So you think going on a date with him will help him sort us out?" Nora replied. If she was having a difficult time wrapping her mind around Nick's identity insecurities, then she couldn't imagine how much Nick was suffering.

Ellie handed her the new clothes and a set of cream colored panties and a matching bra — thankfully Fallon's had a large steamer trunk overflowing with clean female undergarments — and drew the partition around Nora.

"Nick needs to feel like he can have an identity outside of the Pre War counterpart. Sometimes I think he feels like he's living in the shadow of a dead man and can never escape it."

Once Nora was changed, she put the dress and the cinch belt on a metal coat hanger. She payed Barbara for the traveling clothes and the undergarments. Her hard eyes seemed to bore into Nora's as though she was trying to use telepathy to determine if she was a synth. Ellie stashed the dress in a tattered garment bag and waved farewell to the woman.

Ellie's words about Nick wouldn't leave her and she didn't say much when they stopped for lunch at Power Noodles.

"Nan-ni-shimasho-ka?" The robot replied, although he addressed nobody in particular.

"Hey Taka!" Piper greeted cheerily. She skipped up to the women. Ellie gave her a friendly side hug and Nora offered her a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"So Blue, the whole town's talkin' about something that caught my ear." She replied with a knowing grin.

Nora rolled her eyes, "You know what they say about idle gossip and all of that."

"Yeah, except I make my living off of gossip." Piper replied. "So are any of the rumors true?"

"Depends on the rumor." Nora bit back. She knew that Piper was talking about her and Nick. This was like high school all over again, she mused. She was getting more irritable by the second.

"Well, some people saw that our good ol' Synth Detective was a bit friendly with a known client of his, if you catch my drift." The innuendo in Piper's voice made it perfectly clear that she knew exactly what was going on.

"Piper, why don't you just come out and ask me your question instead of beating around the bush." Nora said hastily. Takahashi served all three of them steaming bowls of noodles with tiny cut up baked tatos floating in the broth.

"Are you and Nick sleeping together?"

"That's really nobody's business but ours." She bit out savagely. "Why are you even asking?"

"I thought it would make a good human interest piece." Piper countered, but upon seeing Nora's clenched jaw and glare she realized the large misstep that she took. "Aaaand now I'm seeing that I was completely in the wrong here. Shit. I kind of figured that you guys were public with it. Just forget I said anything. Bye Ellie."

"Bye Piper." Ellie smirked. They could overhear Piper talking adamantly with Myrna about her unfairly high prices for duct tape and Nora turned to her.

"Has she always been like that?" Nora asked Ellie.

"Insufferable? Nosy? A pain in the ass? Yes to all three." Ellie replied. "I remember the first day that her and her sister came to town. Piper was only fifteen, barely older than Nat is now, when she started writing inflammatory pieces about the poor living conditions in Diamond City. She caused a lot of people some grief, but it was because of her that the town is still running. She keeps people honest, I guess. Whether they like it or not."

"I think I can understand why she was kicked out." Nora grumbled.

The two women finished their noodles in silence and Ellie deposited ten caps into a slot on Takahasi's front panel.

"Nan-ni-shimasho-ka?" The robot said in the same cadence and tone as before.

"You're welcome, Taka." Ellie replied. "Food was good as always."

The two women began to walk towards the Dugout Inn before a man with red, watery eyes and scraggly blond hair approached the women.

"Uh — Um. Hi. Sorry to interrupt, but is one of youse Nora?"

"Yeah, that's me." Nora replied.

"Here. I have a package for you." He extended her a small parcel that was wrapped in an a page of the _Boston Bugle_.

"Uh, thanks."

The man gave a quick nod and took off towards the entrance at a brisk jog. Nobody else seemed to pay attention to him and so Nora assumed that he wasn't threatening.

"Hm. He doesn't look like a courier." Ellie commented. "Were you expecting a delivery?"

"No." Nora replied and unwrapped the newspaper and saw untidy, small scrawl written in the margin of the sports section.

 _Nora,_

 _Thought you should have these back. Didn't want you to trade away your memories just for me. Consider it payment for helping me get the information I needed about my brother._

 _Got word from my contacts about your other problem. All I can say is go to Boston Commons. Follow the Freedom Trail. Take Nick with you._

 _Take care, sunshine._

 _\- H_

Two gold wedding bands spilled out of the small parchment and on the countertop. Her voice caught in her throat and she held tightly to the cool metal. Her husband's band still burned her skin and she pocket both trinkets before the memories from the Vault overtook her.

"You okay, Nora?" Ellie's voice broke through her thoughts. "What are those rings for?"

Nora wanted to gape at the woman's ignorance about Pre-War wedding customs, but could barely handle the conflicting emotions building inside of her. Why did Hancock go through the trouble?

Nora shook the thoughts from her mind and replied, "The rings? They're mine. I can't wear them anymore, but is there a place that sells necklaces or metal chains?"

"You could ask Arturo, I suppose." Ellie commented. "How 'bout you do that while I pick up the wash. I'll meet you back at the office in twenty minutes or so."

Nora nodded and took the bag of clothes and the dress from Ellie. She was in shock as she walked the short distance to Arturo's shop. How did Hancock manage to get the rings back from that assaultron in Goodneighbor? That stupid fem bot wouldn't accept the trade until Nora explained the significance of wedding rings to the hunk of metal, and even then, she was positive that KL-E-O only agreed to the trade because it made Nora uncomfortable.

"Good afternoon, Nora." Arturo greeted her warmly. "You look like a woman with a lot on her mind."

"Hey Arturo. I'm looking for a chain or a necklace to wear these." She showed him the two gold bands and placed them on his countertop.

"Ah, I'm glad to see they're still with you." Arturo smiled. "You can't put a price on sentimental trinkets."

Nora looked away guiltily and Arturo pulled out two thin silver cords from a small drawer. "Now, I don't have anything elegant that would go well with the jewelry, but I do have a couple of chain lengths that use to be pull chains from florescent lights. If you give me a moment, I can weld a couple lengths together."

Nora nodded and waited as Arturo took the rings and retreated into the back with them. In a matter of minutes, he came back with a thin silver chain that was no thicker than the width of a drinking straw. He gently put the chain around her neck and she tucked the rings beneath her t-shirt. The cool metal hung right above her breasts and kissed her skin every time she moved.

"It's perfect, Arturo." Thanks. She dropped fifteen caps on the table, but he only swept seven of them into a coin purse.

"I couldn't cheat you out of a trade, Nora. I'll just take enough to recoup the cost of materials." Arturo replied.

Nora sighed and swept the excess caps back into her bag. "As always, Arturo, I owe you one."

"Nonsense." He replied with a gracious smile. "If you're heading back to Nick's, remind him to come in for a tune up once in a while. I know that hand of his bothers him and I just scavenged some better materials that I think will help him."

"Will do." Nora replied. Apparently news had gotten out to Arturo about Nora's new sleeping location. Nevertheless, she gave Arturo a farewell wave. "Thanks again."

Although she was only gone for the bulk of the afternoon, Nora was excited to see Nick again. She wanted to vent to him about Piper and ask him his opinion about Hancock's unexpected charity. Yet, when she let herself into the office, she was surprised to find it dark. The lights flickered on as the generator kicked on with the flick of a switch. Nora hung the garment bag on the handle of a closed filing cabinet.

"Nick?"

There was no answer. An assortment of file folders and a couple of pens were organized on Nick's desk. His scrawl was legible but hastily written as though his mind went faster than his hand could go. Next to his case file was a pile of old _Boston Bugles_ that looked like they had been read and folded back haphazardly into some semblance of normal.

Nora creeped upstairs. His fedora and trench coat were both gone from their place on the wooden coat hanger. She saw that he made the bed and saw that on the brown wool blanket was an old yellow memo pad with a note on it for her.

 _Doll —_

 _I went out for a walk outside of the city to help clear my mind Feelin' a bit claustrophobic. Don't wait up. Be back late._

 _— Nick_

"Nora, you back?" Ellie's voice called from downstairs. Nora met the woman at the base of the stairs and showed her the note.

"Ellie, Nick's gone."

"Gone? What do you mean?"

Ellie read the note and then sighed, "Oh. Oh, Nick. He's gone to visit Jenny. I didn't think this would happen so soon."

"Visit Jenny? I thought she was dead." Nora clarified.

The woman sighed and hesitated. "She is … or she has been since before the bombs. Nick doesn't really talk about her. I know that she was his Pre War counterpart's fiancé but Nick never talks about how or why she died, but whenever he has free time he pours over anything and everything that he can get his hands on about some guy named Eddie Winter. Sometimes he has a hard time separating the reality that Pre-War Nick experienced and the reality that's happening now."

Ellie pulled the top issue of a faded _Boston_ Bugle from the stack on Nick's desk and showed it to Nora. She read the headline: _CASE CLOSED ON CRIME BOSS EDDIE WINTER_.

She opened the paper and continued to read: " _In a move that has shocked and angered the people of Massachusetts, the Boson Police Department in coordination with the Bureau of Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco, Firearms, and Lasers (BADTFL) have closed the case on notorious crime boss, Eddie Winters._

 _Jonathan Widmark of the BPD said: "After reviewing the evidence with our colleagues at BADTFL, we were able to use the latest forensic evidence in conjunction with first rate investigation by our lead detective, Nick Valentine, to finally close the book on this landmark case._

 _It was an unexpected turn of events, to be sure. According to the Boston Bugle's confidential sources within the Boston Police Department, the "innocent man" was anything but. As uncovered by Captain Widmark's official investigation, codenamed "Operation Winter's End," Eddie Winter was involved in every crime imaginable, from petty larceny to first-degree murder. And although nothing was proved, everyone on Widmark's task force suspected Winter in the August homicide death of their lead detective's fiancé, a miss Jennifer Lands._

 _Whatever the truth, it would seem that Winters is finally behind bars._

 _Editor's note: As of publishing this piece, the Boston Police Department has informed us that Winters has escaped custody and is armed and highly dangerous. Any information as to his whereabouts can be directed to Captain Widmark, the Boston Police, or the BADTFL. A $50,000 reward is being offered for information that helps lead to his capture._

It was like a light switch had flicked on in her brain; the grim, pale face of Pre-War Nick Valentine swam to her mind as she saw him and this Captain Widmark whisk past journalists on their way to the courthouse. Both were clad in large, grey overcoats and wore the same grey and black fedora that sat low on their heads. She remembered that Nick held a cigarette in-between his teeth as he moved the pushy reporters aside gently but firmly. She never formally met this Nick Valentine, but remembering seeing his flesh and blood counterpart was surreal.

"What's wrong, Nora?" Ellie asked. Nora realized that she was clenching the paper so tightly that the edges disintegrated in her hands.

"I have to find Nick." She replied urgently. "Where does he usually go when he leaves?"

"I don't really know. He sometimes disappears with nothing more than a note to me and then comes back brooding and smoking more than he should. By the next morning, he's right as rain. Why? Are you alright?"

Nora tore through the stack of papers until she found a even more faded copy towards the bottom of the pile. Most of the pages were waterlogged and the ink ran together, but she could barely make out the headline: HOMICIDE OF MS. JENNY LAND POSSIBLY LINKED TO MOB BOSS.

Most of the article was unreadable, but Nora could scarcely make out the title "Andrew Station," "body found near waterfront," and "witnesses asked to provide more information."

"Ellie, where's Andrew station?" Nora asked. "I've heard of the place, but I've never been there."

"It's West of here by at least an hour's walk. It's on the other side of Goodneighbor near the waterfront."

Nora rummaged through her bag and pulled out her Vault Suit and armor. She reminded herself to tip Scarlett, the blood and grime from their previous expedition into Fort Hagen was nearly impossible to see.

"Nora, you can't go out after him." Ellie admonished. "You'll get yourself killed. Nick would never forgive me."

"Ellie, you're the one who said that I need to get to know Nick as he is now. If Nick is hurting then I have to go to him." Nora replied.

Nora holstered her modified 10mm and stashed some extra ammo, stimpacks, and purified water into a satchel that she bought from Fallon's. Her ribs still ached, but she could now move without too much pain.

"You should charge us a finder's fee if this is going to be a habit between you and Nick." Ellie joked, but the joke was half hearted and fell flat. Ellie was scared and Nora could see that.

"I'll be okay, Ellie. I promise." Nora assured the woman. "Keep the light on for us, wont you?"

"Kay." She replied quietly. Just like when Nick left to investigate cases, Ellie knew that convincing Nora to stay behind was a moot point. "Come back safe, wont you? I was starting to get use to seeing you around the office."

Nora gave Ellie a warm smile. "I'll be back with Nick before you even notice."

Nora took off down the alleyway at a fast walk. She couldn't go any faster than that before her ribs pained her too much. Thankfully Ellie was true to her word.

Andrew Station was west of Goodneighbor by a half-hour's walk. The journey to Goodneighbor was uneventful; the Neighborhood watch took over where the Diamond City patrol's territory ended which left the streets free from everything save for the occasional radroach or mongrel dog.

The city lights shone behind Goodneighbor's high, junk walls and Nora could hear the faint rumble of laughter and adamant talking. She contemplated what Hancock might be doing at this time of the day. It was too early to be drinking, but much too late for most people to sleep in. Of course, it was Hancock so his schedule might've been based on how high he was that day. Nevertheless, she reminded herself to somehow thank Hancock for recovering her wedding bands

Nora kept a low profile as she ventured into uncharted territories and kept heading west. As she got closer to the waterfront, she could see the rapid flashing of guns discharging. She upwind and couldn't hear their shouts, but she gave the raider camp a large berth just to be safe.

Andrew Station was an old, derelict subway station that connected North Quincy to CIT and Cambridge. In the Pre-War days, the subway was barely a hole-in-the-wall compared to larger stations and it had a reputation for being one of the few stopping places where having an escort was not only pragmatic but necessary.

Nora heard rumors about women being assaulted and about men selling contraband beneath long overcoats. Those rumors were enough to keep her from traveling any farther than City Hall.

The small station's sign hung askew and a few of the letters were unreadable. The entrance to the subway was boarded up with thick plywood that was then gratified so many times over that each illustration bled into the other until it became an indecipherable mess.

There, beyond the entrance, Nora saw Nick sitting on a low wall looking out towards the bay.

"Nick?" Nora asked cautiously. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. Maybe she should've never come after him. Suddenly Nora was regretting her decisions. She should've done as she was told and waited with Ellie.

Nick turned around at the call of his name and nearly gasped when he saw Nora. He looked panicked and then tried to school his face to a more neutral expression. "Dammit. What are you doin' here?"

Nora swallowed thickly. Would Nick be angry at her for violating his privacy or for taking an unnecessary risk? "I was worried about you."

"Worried about me?" Nick repeated. This time his voice seemed different, almost higher, and it held a static to it like someone had recorded this new voice and was playing it back for her. "Doll, I just needed to take a walk. You shouldn't have come all this way for just me. There are thugs and low-lifes crawling all over the place."

"Nick, I'm fine. Honestly. Stop worrying about me for a minute."

"I worry about you all the time Jenny." Nick replied. He looked even more pained and his hands were balled into tight fists. His breathing had sped up and his eyes seemed to bore into hers.

"Nick?" Nora tried cautiously. It was as though someone else was in control of his body. She remembered the a similar expression when Kellogg had hijacked Nick's when they had visited Dr. Amari.

"I don't want you putting yourself in danger because of me." His nostrils flared with each passing breath. "Winters will look for anything he can use to hurt me. He'll try to use you to get to me."

Nora gently touched Nick's arm and decided to play along, "He won't get to me, Nick.

At Nora's touch, Nick jerked as though she had startled him. He took a step back and then focused on Nora.

"Dammit," he panted. "What happened?"

"You mean you don't remember?"

"I, uh —"

"You called me Jenny." Nora replied in a quiet voice.

Nick's winced at the sound of her name. He looked physically pained by her memory. Nora remembered having the same look one her face when she was reminded of Nate so soon after his death. "Did I? That's funny. —"

"Nick, I know she was your fiancé." Nora replied. "I also saw some things back in your office that jogged a memory from my old life in the pile of _Boston Bugles_ you keep. I don't know why your name didn't ring a bell once I first met you. You, well Pre-War Nick Valentine, was all over the news during the Eddie Winter's trial."

Now Nick's ire bubbled beneath the surface. His metal jaw clenched beneath his tattered skin like a man with a vendetta. "It kind of figures, doesn't it? Any lawyer-in-training would've known —"

Nora interrupted him quickly, "Nick, don't get mad. I don't remember much about the case. I had already dropped out of law school because I was pregnant with Shaun."

"I ain't mad at you, Doll. I'm just …" He sighed. His yellow eyes pierced into hers and he looked exhausted; suddenly Nora could see the resemblance of the broken man in the _Boston Bugle_ photograph. "Doll, I don't know what's goin' on with me…"

"Look, for as long as I can remember I've been getting these … flashes. I can't control them and I can't stop them from happening. They're memories of places I've never been and of people I've never met before. Y'know, memories of Nick's. Sometimes I see Jenny. I can feel her touch. I can smell her perfume on the breeze. I —" Nick swallowed thickly, "— I can hear her scream and I can smell the gunpowder from the slug that Winters put in her back."

"I know she's not you. And I know that you're not her. But these memories, they're just this inescapable reminder that I'm not the person I think I am."

The floodgates had opened and Nick was talking quickly in a low, serious voice. "Then last night, with you, hell, I've never felt anything like that before, but it felt incomplete. Now, I wasn't born yesterday, so I know there's more to loving a woman than just _that_ , but I am physically incapable of doing it. Then at what point am I just a no better than some tool like any other wire and metal Synth?

"Nick," Nora sighed at his panicked spiraling. She reached for him and wrapped him in a hug which he hesitantly returned. "None of that matters to me. I told you we'd make it work, and I mean it. I can adjust to your physical limitations, and we can work through these memory issues that you're having. It doesn't matter to me that you sometimes channel that Pre-War cop."

"But it matters to me, Doll. See, everything I am — my memories, my thoughts, and my desires are because of this Pre War cop. Granted, Nick was a hell of a cop. He had good instincts and a good heart, but I can't do a damn thing about it because he's what makes me … me. Nora, all I want is a life where I can have something to call my own."

"You have me." Nora pointed out. "Even though I recognize your face from television and the newspapers doesn't mean I had a connection to him two hundred years ago. He didn't offer me a shoulder to cry on when I talked about Nate's murder. He didn't hold me under the rain where every touch of his felt like liquid fire on my skin. He doesn't make me laugh, he doesn't make me feel safe and secure, and he's never taken bullets and exploding gas canisters for me on account of my shitty aim."

Nick grinned despite himself and rested his chin on top of her head before deepening the hug. "I don't know what to do Nora. I've been living in the past, in his shadow, ever since I woke from that trash heap when the Institute rejected me.

"How 'bout we stop by Dr. Amari's and get a professional opinion." Nora suggested. "If she could get Kellogg to leave your mind, then I don't see why she can't limit you from having these flashes."

He sighed, "I've done it before, Doll. Kicking Pre-War Nick out of my head is a lot harder than silencing one grizzled mercenary."

"But we have to try, right? Otherwise, I'll just have to deal with being in an open relationship with a dead woman and her sexy detective fiancé. I don't mind sharing if you don't." She smirked.

Nick pretended to look scandalized. "Let's slow down here a bit before we start proposing things like that."

"Alright, then how about we make an appointment with the Doc and then we go out on a date. Like a proper date. You know this the ruins of Boston better than I do. You might not forget Nick's past memories, but we can start making our own now."

"A date, you say?" Nick grinned. He brushed his thumb along her jaw before tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "Would you prefer a starlight picnic on the rooftop of a Super Mutant infested apartment building or a moonlit walk along the irradiated Charles River?"

"How about dancing in the Third Rail." Nora replied. "I mean, this will be our first date. There's no need to break out all the bells and whistles."

"I beg to differ, Doll. For you, bells and whistles are always required." Nick replied. He offered her his arm which she gratefully took and they walked towards the illuminated free city of Goodneighbor just as the sun dipped below the water.


	14. Crazy For You

Chapter 14 - Crazy For You

"Nora. Nicholas. I'm surprised to see you again so soon." Dr. Amari replied when she watched the Vault Dweller and her synth compatriot descend the wooden stairs. Amari removed her glasses and set them next to the glowing terminal and massaged her temples. She had been neck deep into research when the duo interrupted her.

"Hey Doc. Sorry to drop in unannounced. I'm here to take you up on your offer from last time." He replied.

"You're having more mnemonic impressions?" Amari asked. Her face grew serious as she scrutinized the synth. "Is it Kellogg again?"

"No. I'm afraid it's… Nick." Synth Nick bit out.

Dr. Amari nodded and motioned for Nick to sit in an arm chair next to her terminal. Nick removed his fedora and handed it to Nora. He ran a hand across his bald head out of nervous habit. As his hands swept across the synthetic panels that made up his skull, he had a sensation of his hand running through thin, tousled hair.

Nora took a seat in the other vacant chair and observed Dr. Amari as she attached lead nodes to Nick's skin until they encircled his entire head like a sci-fi crown.

"How long ago was the last episode you had?"

Nick glanced at the yellow alarm clock that sat on the table. It read a quarter after eight in the evening. "It's happened at least three times in the past ten hours."

Dr. Amari frowned and consulted a thick file folder that sat on top of a metal file cabinet. "You've never had this many frequent episodes before. Where were you when these hallucinations happened?"

"It happened twice in my office and then once more when I — " Nick paused and looked guilty. "— I went to visit the murder scene."

Dr. Amari tutted disapprovingly, "Why do you torture yourself like that Nicholas?"

"What can I say. I'm a masochist, I guess." He replied dryly. Dr. Amari ignored his quip and began typing some commands into her terminal.

"Alright Nicholas, I need you to put yourself auxiliary mode. Run a partial diagnostic scan but focus primarily on your processors and your cerebral memory banks. The results will get sent to my terminal."

"You don't need to stay here, Doll." Nick sighed. Again, hesitation and insecurity wrinkled his tattered face. He already felt like a science experiment gone wrong.

"I'm staying, Nick." Nora replied firmly. "See you when you wake up."

Nick closed his eyes and rested his head against the high-backed chair. A series of beeps emanated from his body and then Nora could hear the gentle whirl of the internal motors and fans. Occasionally, Nick's index finger twitched on his ruined hand and gently tapped the armrest sporadically.

Dr. Amari poured over the information that was being sent to her terminal. She didn't say anything besides a few noncommittal grunts and sighs.

"Doc, can you tell me why Nick has these flashbacks?" Nora asked after a moment. "She wanted to breach the subject with Nick but felt that it would be awkward to ask him about a part of his brain that he deemed was defective.

Amari never took her eyes from the terminal when she spoke, "Nick's pre-war counterpart was diagnosed with PTSD in the psychiatric file that I recovered from the CIT's database. I don't doubt that the PTSD was what spurred the original Mister Valentine to check himself in to psychiatric care. However, I don't think he understood the full ramification of the experiment that he volunteered for. As a result, when Mister Valentine's memories and consciousness were implanted into Nick, the PTSD came with it."

"So this Nick has PTSD?" Nora clarified.

"Yes and no. What Nick experiences are echoes of the same dissociative state that many PTSD sufferers experience. He may sometimes experience visual or auditory hallucinations, but he rarely goes into a full dissociative state. Granted, he's gotten much better since I first began treating him nearly ten years ago. The severity of his symptoms as well as their frequency have died down substantially. I'm hoping today's influx of episodes was just an anomaly."

She scribbled some notes into Nick's file while another series of trills emanated from Nick and he blinked a few times before shifting in the chair.

"What's the prognosis, doc." His voice sounded slurred as though he had been roused from a deep sleep.

"Unfortunately Nicholas, I don't see anything in the data that tells me something has changed or has gotten worse." Nora handed Nick his fedora and he rose to look at the information from over Amari's shoulder. Nora did the same, but all she could see was a string of random alpha-numeric code stretch across the screen. The code looked like hieroglyphs to Nora, but Nick scanned then and frowned.

"Then what can I do to minimize these episodes, doc?" He asked. He couldn't stop the frustration from leaking into his voice. "I lost my hand due to a bad episode long ago, remember? If you hadn't found me outside of Goodneighbor, I would've been picked clean by scavvers and raiders."

"You can do what I've suggested before, Nicholas. You need to behave as though you suffer the same mental illness that your counterpart suffered from. The symptoms of PTSD can only be mitigated by therapy."

Nick shook his head, "No. No offense Doc, but I'm done with therapy. That's what got Pre War Nick into this situation in the first place."

"Why don't you talk with me?" Dr. Amari offered, "I can make you a weekly appointment if you want."

"You already know all there is about Jenny. What more could I tell you?" Nick complained. He tried to restrain himself from snapping at the doctor.

"I'm not talking about having a conversation, Nicholas." Amari replied shortly, "I'm talking about psychotherapy. I'll walk you through the event and —"

"No." This time Nick did snap, and then he sighed. "Sorry, but therapy isn't an option."

"Then I'm afraid that until you decide to talk with someone about what happened, then this is something that you'll just have to live with."

"Thanks again for seein' me." Nick replied briskly. "Sorry 'bout waistin' your time."

"Don't be sorry Nicholas. I'm here to help. I just wish you weren't so damn stubborn sometimes. Take care Nora. I'm happy to see you made it back from the Glowing Sea safely."

"Good night, Dr. Amari." Nora replied and followed Nick up the stairs.

Nick pulled out a cigarette and lit it as they escaped into the night. He leaned up against the wall of The Memory Den and sighed as smoke was exhaled from his mouth and the tear in his throat. Anxiety, annoyance, and uncertainty marred his features.

Nora could understand his frustration. After Shaun was born, Nora felt empty and uncertain about her new role as mother and about her place in the world. Nate took to fatherhood like a duck to water, but Nora was afraid that everything she did, from breast feeding, to changing, to swaddling, was wrong. Shaun bonded with Nate right away, but he was always fussy when Nora held him. She began doubting her abilities as a mother and closed herself off from Nate when he tried to initiate intimacy again.

All of the anger, disappointment, shame, and guilt simmered inside her until Nate found Nora sobbing uncontrollably in the bathroom while Shaun was wailing in the bedroom. Codsworth was beside himself because Nora had locked herself in and refused to come out to tend to the baby. The next day, Nate went with Nora to meet with a psychologist who specialized in post partum depression. It took a while before Nora felt completely secure in herself again, and she often wondered if seeing a therapist was worth it. In the end, though, Nora was glad that she did it.

"Hey, Valentine" Nora said. Her arms snaked underneath his trench coat and ghosted over the back of his cotton shirt.

"Yeah? Something you need?"

His voice sounded hollow and his eyes were unfocused. He was spiraling and Nora knew that it was her job to pull him back to her.

"Talk to me. What are you seeing?"

The psychiatrist she saw gave her a strategy to ground herself to reality when she was feeling too anxious to cope. She needed to pick out five objects that she could see, five scents she could smell, and five textures and sensations that she could feel in order to distract her from fixating on the anxiety or the intrusive hopeless thoughts.

"What am I seeing?" Nick repeated.

"Yeah."

"Uh, you?" Nick replied uncertainly.

Nora chuckled. "Just go with it, okay? You see me and what else?"

"I don't underst—"

"Just play along here." Nora interjected.

"I see a man smoking over there. He looks like death warmed over."

"No judgements, just make observations Detective."

Nick sighed, "Okay… I see two women walking down the alleyway. They look like they're dressed to go out — they're probably going to The Third Rail."

Nick looked around, "And I see two metal-walled hovels. There's one over in the corner that is covered in potted carrot flowers and wild herbs. The man who lives in the larger one near the warehouse collects Vault Tec Lunchboxes. And I can hear music coming up from the old subway station below."

Nora smiled proudly, "Good, and now how do you feel?"

Nick took a drag from his cigarette, "I dunno. I'm pretty confused."

"But you're not thinking about the other Nick anymore, right?"

"No," Nick agreed, "But now I'm wondering if they taught you psychology courses in law school."

"Afraid not. But sometimes small distractions can get you outta your own head. Doing that helps me focus when I'm stressed, and I thought you need it."

"Thanks." Nick was still confused but he couldn't fault the woman for trying. "Look, I'm sorry for being so moody. How 'bout a change of scenery? I believe I promised to take you on a date."

"What did you have in mind, Mr. Valentine."

Nick smirked and laced his good fingers in with Nora's. "How d'you feel about jazz music?"

"Jazz is great, although I'm willing to listen to the likes of a Super Mutant opera as long as I'm with you."

Nick chuckled and let Nora into the darkened alleyway. "This will be far better than a Super Mutant opera. Trust me."

"Is this a black tie event?" She mused. In her haste to find Nick, she left the dress that Ellie let her borrow back at the agency. Although, she had a different kind of date in mind planned for that dress.

Nick glanced down at Nora's vault suit and full set of leather armor. "Your suit may garner you some unwanted attention, but wearing armor where we're going may not be a bad idea."

As they rounded the corner, the small neon sign for The Third Rail came in to view.

"Are we expecting a fight?" Nora asked.

Nick shrugged, "You gotta be ready for anything in Goodneighbor."

"Welcome back Mr. Valentine." A ghoul who was dressed in a clean tuxedo replied as Nick and Nora entered the derelict subway station.

"Evenin' Ham." Nick tipped his hat towards the ghoul.

"Hey Nick, who's this lovely bird with ya? A Vault Dweller to boot, huh? I ain't ever seen you walk into The Rail with a woman, usually you only walk out with 'em kickin' and screamin'."

"I'm Nora." She replied.

"I'm not on the clock tonight, Ham. Nora's my guest tonight." Nick extinguished his cigarette the gold ash tray that was by the subway's derelict ticket booth.

"Well, welcome sweetheart. Go on in. Newcomers get a drink on the house. Just talk to the barkeep." Nora turned back to look at Ham before they descended the stairs. He was short, but he looked quite capable of throwing out ruffians if the occasion called for it. His eyes, like most ghouls, were an inky black. He stood watchful as ever and kept an ear to the stairwell in case he heard trouble brewing downstairs.

As Nick and Nora descended the two flights of stairs, they heard the low thumbing of a bass guitar and the sharp croons of trumpets playing a jazzy tune. A woman's alto voice cut through the music and bounced along with the subtle drum beat. When Nora turned the corner, she saw a bombshell of a woman in a skin tight red dress working the crowd that was starting to form in front of the stage. Her eyes were a startling blue and in the limelight they seemed to shine like pale sapphires beneath her dark bangs.

Nick guided her toward the bar and pulled out the robin's egg blue chair that was tucked up against the bar for her to sit on. Although the bar was showing its age — the linoleum on the floor had cracked and then had been patched over by pieces of plywood and wood pallets, — the place was nearly at capacity and most of the guests were either dancing or conversing in hushed tones. In all of her life, Nora had never been to a place quite like this.

"What'll it be." The robot said when she took a seat. His metal hull was partially rusted and had none of Codsworth's shine or luster; the Union Jack embossment looked like it had been painted on recently.

"What do you have?"

The Mister Handy turned fully to her and she saw that he was cleaning glasses with a rag. She chuckled at the image despite herself and the robot's eye stalks quivered in irritation.

"We're a bar. What the hell d'you think we have? Brahmin milk?"

"We'll have two bourbons, Charlie." Nick cut in.

The robot muttered something unintelligible as he went to fix their drinks in a huff.

"He's touchy." Nora commented before she turned her chair to face the stage. Magnolia was reaching the end of the song and as she moved the men below watched every sway and ministration she made like hawks. Nora felt like a voyeur and forced herself to look at Nick instead.

"Charlie's been a touchy bastard since I've known him." Nick commented loud enough for Charlie to hear. Apparently he came with the decorations."

The robot set two lowballs full of amber liquid down on the bar. "You'd be a touchy bastard too if you had Gunners breathin' down yer robotic neck over some runt that Hancock brought in from the rain."

Nick looked across the room towards a crudely etched piece of plywood that read: "VIP ONLY." Two men who wore heavy combat armor over their traveling clothes walked into the hallway like two foxes slinking into a rabbit hole.

"You want me to go do some pokin' around?" Nick offered.

"Nah, no need to go bloodying the ground on my account. I already made Ham aware. He'll be comin' to throw those layabouts out. — Oi, keep yer hand away from the bottles or you'll loose a hand."

The Mister Handy's buzz saw whirled threateningly. The man reaching over the counter to swipe a bottle sitting near the sink shrunk back and nearly tripped over himself as he left.

Nora smirked and leaned in to Nick, "This is certainly a colorful place. Do your cases bring you here often?"

Nick lounged back against the countertop and intertwined his fingers into Nora's. The affectionate gesture was discrete; he didn't want to call too much attention to their relationship yet.

"I'm here at least twice a month. Most of the time, its to track down wayward husbands or wives who are meeting up with lovers to continue clandestine affairs. One time, I also tracked a missing child down and found that he had set up a makeshift shanty just beyond the boarded up section over there —"

Nick gestured to the left and Nora saw that a white picket fence, a broken down subway car, and smatterings of plywood blocked off the rest of the subway tunnel.

"The kid said that his homelife was bad. Dad was a drunk and Mom had passed years ago. He set up his own little home back there so he could listen to Magnolia sing. Kid was barely up to my waist and he carried a pretty big torch for the dame."

"So what did you do?" Nora replied. "I hope you didn't send him back to his father."

"Didn't really have a choice." Nick said with a frown. Nora saw it still really bothered him. Goodneighbor aint' a place for kids and the kid needed a basic education if he was gonna get by in the world. Turns out that the kid ran away again a month later and was taken in by a caravan running through Bunker Hill. I don't know what became of him after that."

Nora brushed her thumb along the back of Nick's hand. "I'm sure he turned out all right in the end."

Nick sighed and took a sip from his drink. "I sure hope so. There's not a whole lot of happy endings out in the wasteland."

As the song ended, Magnolia took a slight bow and spoke into the microphone, "Thank you, Goodneighbor. I love each and every one of you, but this gal needs a bit of a break."

The crowd cried in displeasure and sadness until Magnolia interrupted with a consolatory smile, "Oh come now. I'll be right back to sing my love to each and every one of you. Till then, freshen up your drink because the best part is yet to come."

The lights on the stage dimmed and Nora saw a bored ghoul sitting up on a rickety piece of scaffolding that was suspended from the metal rafters. He closed the shutters on a dusty and rusted spotlight and fanned himself against the fixture's blistering heat.

"Charlie, could I have some water." Magnolia asked when she waltzed up to Nora's left side.

"Certainly, love. Song's were as beautiful as always." The robot replied and handed her a can of purified water.

"Thanks, Doll."

She popped the top and drank from it greedily. Now that she was up close, Nora saw the beads of sweat that had collected around her neck and forehead. Her pale skin made her nearly translucent now that she was out of the harsh lighting, and the dark circles under her eyes told Nora that sleep was an elusive thing for the sultry singer.

Magnolia noticed Nora's intense gaze and her ice blue eyes met Nora's with a flirtatious smile. "What's the matter sweetheart. Don't tell me you didn't like the songs."

"No. The songs were great." Nora replied in ernest fearful that she offended the woman.

"Well thanks. A girl does try her best." Magnolia she winked and then turned to both of them. "So how'd you manage to tie down the most elusive bachelor in all of the Commonwealth? I never thought I'd see the day when Nick Valentine walked into The Rail with a woman on his arm. I have to say, I'm kinda jealous."

Nick smirked and took another drink as though it was an excuse to remain silent. Nora saw from her heated gaze that Magnolia wasn't jealous of Nora, she was jealous of Nick.

She leaned in towards Nora's ear and whispered in the same sultry voice that she reserved for the men pining at her feet while she was onstage. "If you ever get tired the Great Synth Detective, you know where to find me. I'm an awful lot of fun when I'm not working."

Magnolia sauntered away and Nora couldn't help but notice the sway in her hips as she walked. She could already feel Nick's amused smirk and she finished the rest of her drink.

"You aren't the jealous type, are you?" Nora asked casually.

"I dunno, Doll." Nick rumbled. His eyes glinted mischievously, "Are you thinking of leaving me and taking up with that songbird?"

"Depends on how you play your cards tonight, Valentine." Nora smirked back. Apparently Nick was the jealous type because he swooped in and kissed her. His tongue brushed against her lips which sent shivers down her spine and Nora rested her hand against his chest. She had half the mind to pull him to the Hotel Rexford by the tie just so she could quench the fire he sparked within her.

"You'll find that I'm a pretty good poker player, especially when I'm up against beautiful women." He said huskily. His yellow eyes shock back over to Magnolia who was issuing some instructions to the four ghouls with instruments.

"I'd be careful, I think Magnolia stacks the deck." Nora replied. Her voice was breathier than usual and her head spun from lust and the booze.

The music picked up again into another lazy beat. The spotlight opened with a rusty whine and the ghoul slipped a filter in the front that dispersed the edges to make the beam less harsh.

"Thanks for waiting for me my loves." Magnolia said. The crowd hooted and whooped as she blew them a kiss. "This next song is one of my favorites and it goes out from me to all of you."

Two ghouls who were off stage crooned out with a trumpet and a clarinet while another one picked away at a upright bass.

"Wanna dance, Doll?" Nick asked.

Nora nodded with a smile and let Nick lead her out to the middle of the dance floor. She wrapped her arm around his waist and grabbed on to his other hand. Their movements were slow to match the sluggish rhythm and Nora let her forehead fall against his chest

 _I see you lookin' 'round the corner_

 _Come on inside and pull up a chair_

 _No need to feel like a stranger_

 _Cause we're all a little strange in here._

As the music continued, Nick saw Hancock descending the stairs with two ghoul body guards. His arrival created a small scene as guests toasted his appearance and others offered to buy him a drink. Nick exhaled his irritation and held Nora closer to him.

 _Have you got a history that needs erasing?_

 _Did you come in just for the beer and cigarettes?_

 _A broken down dream you're tired of chasing_

 _Oh, well I'm just the girl to make you forget._

Hancock waved his admirers by with a good-natured gesture. His charcoal eyes scanned the dance floor. Nick felt the heat of Hancock's gaze on both of them. Thankfully, Nora was blissfully unaware; her eyes were closed, her head was rested on Nick's chest, and she had a slight smile on her face. She almost looked content.

 _So we're glad you dropped by_

 _Come in and loosen up your tie_

 _Have a drink or maybe just one more_

 _But if you're searchin' for something to bring you comfort_

 _Oh well, I'm the one you're lookin' for._

"Thanks for brining me here Nick. I'm having a good time." Nora whispered in his ear.

"I'm glad, Doll." He replied.

Hancock lounged up against the white picket fence and grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the cigarette machine. He watched both of them like a predator from the bushes. Nick gave him a hard look as though he was daring the man to come closer. Hancock smirked and then winked at him.

 _Now is your motor running close to empty?_

 _Or are you runnin' from yourself?_

 _You're thirsty for a brand new kind of pleasure?_

 _Or are you hungry to be somebody else?_

Nick knew that Hancock would make a play. That was always his m.o. When he saw something he wanted, Hancock would stop at nothing to get it. He wouldn't be so well respected by the citizens of Goodneighbor if he was a pushover.

 _So sit down your pretty face_

 _You came to the right place_

 _Oh, where every night it starts once more_

 _I'm telling you friend, your search is at an end_

 _Cause I'm the one you're lookin' for._

The song ended with a quiet, sad whimper of the trumpet. Nora let go of Nick and smiled. But before Nick could escort her off the dance floor and back to their waiting drinks, Hancock gently put his hand on Nora's back.

"Can I cut in?" The mayor grinned at Nick. His hungry eyes told the synth that Hancock wanted more than just to talk with Nora. For a split second, Nick was caught between in a rock and a hard place. He could deny the Mayor this request and squash all future attempts that he would use to flirt with his girl, or he could trust Nora and give Hancock this one moment. If Nora's first meeting with Hancock told him anything, it was that she wouldn't be seduced by flattery and sweet-talk. He just hoped that he wasn't wrong.

"It's up to the lady." Nick replied judicially.

"Sure, I guess." Nora replied.

"I'll be over by the bar when you're done, Doll." Nick replied. Nick's fingers lingered on her skin a moment longer as though that one moment could delay the inevitable.

"Don't worry Nicky, I won't break her." The ghoul rasped at his reluctance. Nick restrained himself from responding with a flippant insult.

Nora's right hand wrapped around Hancock's slim waist and her left hand held gently onto his dry, warm hand.

The next song began playing with a trumpet crooning out a low, syncopated tune before Magnolia stepped up to the mic. Her lips touched the metal top as though she was placing feather light kisses over it. Her gesture could only be described as vaguely pornographic.

 _I got lips, ruby and sweet_

 _I've got hips that can't be beat_

 _I've got eyes that are lookin' for a love_

 _I just need a man who's man enough_

"So how are you and Nick doing? He ask you to … _go steady_ yet?" Hancock chuckled at the ancient idiom.

"I don't think any of that is your business." Nora replied. Unlike the cozy dance with Nick, dancing with Hancock seemed like a battle of wills as one gently tried to take the lead over the other.

He laughed, "C'mon sunshine, is a "you were right" really so hard to say? I'm sure that as soon as you graced his office in Diamond City that you fell into bed with him in a matter of hours. I mean, how could he not? You're a knockout."

Nora bit her lip and flushed at the comment and the accuracy of his statement. Was Hancock hitting on her?

Magnolia's voice overshadowed their discussion as they weaved their way closer to the stage.

 _I got arms to hold you tight_

 _I've got charms to keep you with me at night_

 _I've got all that you could ever want_

 _I just need a man who's man enough_

 _"_ I see that you got my package." Hancock spoke into her ear. The silver change that the two golden rings sat on was the only part visible, but Hancock could briefly see the indent it made beneath her jumpsuit.

"I did. You really didn't have to do that, but thank you anyway."

He smiled and tried to avoid Nick's luminescent gaze from the sidelines. He could only imagine what story Nick was concocting in his head as he sashayed to Magnolia's sultry music with his dame.

"I did it for you, sunshine. Like I said, consider it fair payment for helping me out earlier. Don't worry about it."

"Yeah, but I hope KL-E-O didn't give you a hard time." Nora responded. "She made it pretty clear that if I didn't bring her Power Armor back that she'd extract the cost from my blood."

"KL-E-O's all heart despite not having one. Don't worry about her, sunshine." Hancock's lie came easy, but the truth was a different matter. He had Fahrenheit do some recon on easily available Power Armor but the only intact set was sitting on top of some shipping containers near a the waterfront crawling with raiders. He wouldn't exactly call that "easily accessible" but it was better than trying to steal Power Armor from the giant airship that flew into town a couple weeks ago.

 _Don't need another casual lover_

 _Walkin' out the door in the morning light_

 _I want a man who can stand on his own_

 _Without lookin' for another lover every night_

"So hows your search for the Freedom Trail going?" Hancock asked, changing the subject. His breath was warm on her neck. Nora could smell the faint spiciness of tobacco.

Nora shrugged. "The first test will be actually getting through the Boston Commons. Rumor has it that the place is crawling with danger."

The corner of Hancock's mouth turned up into a smirk, "You ain't scared, are ya sister?"

Nora narrowed her eyes at the challenge, "I will stop at nothing to find my son, Hancock. You know that."

"I do." He agreed secretly pleased that he ruffled the bird's feathers. "So let me give ya a little push. If you go North West out from Goodneighbor, you can skip a majority of the trail. Stay away from Faendal Hall though. The Super Mutants there don't mess around."

"So it's an actual trail, then?" Nora clarified. "I thought the name was more like a scavenger hunt."

Hancock's grin got even wider but he said nothing. He already said too much. Magnolia's song hit a crescendo which would've drowned out any secret that the mayor was willing to spill.

 _If you got style and you know how to please_

 _And a smile that makes me weak in the knees_

 _If you're a guy who is gentle and tough_

 _You might be the man who's man enough_

"Nicky should take you out dancin' more. You're pretty good at it." He grinned as she gracefully twirled underneath his arm and then joined back into his body as the beat picked up and the piano took the melody and ran with it.

Nora glanced over at Nick who was now smoking a cigarette. The red ember pulsed as he took a drag and blew the smoke into the already hazy air.

"I'll make it a point mention that." Nora replied. "Besides, are you just looking for an excuse to get me to come back here?"

Hancock chuckled. The woman was astute, he'd give her that. "I was hopin' that after you sampled some of the Goodneighbor hospitality that you'd make your way back here on your own."

Nora took in a shuddering breath. She was now certain that the ghoul was indeed flirting with her. She was even more surprised that she was okay with that fact.

 _Don't need another casual lover_

 _Walkin' out the door in the morning light_

 _I want a man who can stand on his own_

 _Without lookin' for another lover every night_

Nora tuned out Magnolia's crooning and locked eyes with the ghoul for the first time that night. In the dimly lit, smoky bar, Hancock's face was shrouded in shadows that accentuated his rough features. Nate once joked with her that the scars he recieved from the war either made him look "roguishly handsome" or "handsomely roguish" depending on his mood. Hancock's dark eyes peered back at her and she had to look away before she got lost in them. His expression were impossible to read but Nora felt the same heat in her stomach that she felt when Nick stood with her outside of the Dugout Inn after she drank the night away with him at the agency.

Roguishly handsome. Nora decided to herself with a smirk as the music skipped to a quick, sultry conclusion and the men near the stage hooted and whistled accolades.

Nora let go of Hancock and quickly cleared her throat. "Thanks for the dance, Mayor."

Hancock watched as she slid through the crowd and reappeared at Nick's side. Nick's hand brushed her cheek and Hancock could see his lips moving in quiet conversation. Nora's smile was radiant and full of love for the synth detective.

"Boss, you're needed up in your office." Fahrenheit's deep voice rumbled in his ear. He looked at the small clock hanging above the cash register; the traders from The Slog were early.

"I'll be right up." He replied. He took once last look at Nora and saw that her eyes were looking at him. She was trying to figure him out, but he noticed that there was a heat in her eyes when she looked at him. He saw that look often on other women — both as a man and as a ghoul — but he never expected to see Nora looking at him like that.

As he disappeared up the stairs and into the darkness, Hancock grinned at the euphoria bubbling in his stomach and relished in the feeling of success.

"You ready to head out, Doll?" Nick asked. "I think we've been away from the agency long enough. If we stay out much longer, Ellie will start charging another poor sap to come and find us."

Nora took one last sip of her drink and nodded. Her mind buzzed happily and the alcohol pulled warmth to her cheeks. "Let's get outta here."

Nora and Nick weaved their way through the crowd. Magnolia was now bouncing to an upbeat song that had faux train whistles toot in between her lively verses. Three chorus girls were dressed in simple black dresses and they joined her on stage and sang back up vocals.

The night air was cool when they emerged from the subway station. Ham nodded farewell to them as they passed his booth. The square outside of the Old State House was deserted save for the occasional Neighborhood Watch patrolling the streets. First impressions aside, Nora realized that she liked the atmosphere of Goodneighbor and preferred it in some ways to the underlying anxiety that filled Diamond City's residents. People seemed more accepting here.

Nick cleared his throat and gently grabbed Nora's arm before they reached the metal door. "I — uh, Can we talk for a second?"

Nick looked nervous and he bit his lower lip gently.

"Sure. What's up." Nora already suspected that she knew what Nick was going to say.

"I feel like a fool for askin' you this. The thing with Magnolia was a lark, I know that, but is there something going on with you and Hancock?" Nick felt miserable. It was only their first date and he was already on the defense as the jealous boyfriend. He would've put it out of his mind entirely if it was any other man besides Hancock.

Nora stared at the detective like a criminal who was finally cornered into giving up information. Truth would save her here, but Nora wasn't even sure what the truth was.

"I don't know." She replied. "I mean, no. There's nothing going on between us. I would barely call him a friend. I mean, I he saved my life out in the Glowing Sea, but he's also irritating and impulsive. He's not like you, Nick."

"No, he's not." The synth agreed. "But it's clear he likes you."

"Are you upset that I danced with him?"

"I'm not upset with you Doll." Nick urged. He glanced unconsciously up at the whitewashed balcony of the Old State House almost expecting to see Hancock leering down at them. "I stand by what I said when you first met him. Hancock's a good man. He's also a lonely man even if he would never admit it. He sometimes forgets that the solutions to his problems are rarely found between a dame's legs."

Nora guffawed at Nick's candor. "I'll keep that in mind, I guess."

He held the door open for her closed it quietly behind both of them. "Don't worry too much about it. Hancock may try to make plays at you, but he's always respectful of a woman's boundaries. If you tell him to quit flirting with you, he'd listen."

"Is that what you want me to do then? Tell him to quit flirting with me?"

Nick wanted to say "yes" but couldn't stopped. "I hate it, but I guess I really am the jealous type."

Nora smirked. She appreciated Nick's honesty and turned to face him.

"Hey, Valentine." Her voice crooned softly.

"Hmm?"

"Don't be jealous. After all, I'm the one coming home with you."

"That you are, Doll." He mused. His kiss was brief but searing. When he broke away from her, he snaked his arm around her waist as they walked down the alley and towards the Mass Fusion Building into the darkness.


	15. On the Road to Everywhere

Chapter 15 - On The Road to Everywhere

Nick and Nora made it back to Diamond City in the wee hours of the morning. The market and the narrow alleys were empty save for a few guards who were on night patrol. They all looked at Nick warily but he nodded politely at each one of them as the passed. Nora tried to offer a polite smile as well but she wasn't sure it did any good.

When they finally reached the door to the agency, Nora let herself in first. The office was dark. She flipped the switch next to the door and heard the small generator whir as it turned on.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?" An irritated voice came from Nora's left.

Ellie stood next to her desk and had her arms crossed. A full ashtray sat next to a pile of papers and one cigarette sat still smoldering on the edge. Used coffee cups sat by a broken terminal and loose leaf tea dusted several manila folders. One mug was chipped and the ceramic was beginning to crack on the side. By the looks of the place, Ellie had stayed there all night waiting for them to get back.

"Sorry El." Nick replied automatically. He shrugged off his coat and placed it neatly on the coat rack that was tucked away in the corner.

This was routine for Nick. A case would take him longer than he'd anticipate, and he'd be late getting back to Diamond City. Ellie would scold and rebuke him for his carelessness and then she'd be perfectly fine the next day. None of it really bothered him, but he always felt bad about causing Ellie unnecessary stress.

Additionally, Nora couldn't help but feel a little guilty for their brief date in the Third Rail. She was sent out to find Nick and bring him home. Of course Ellie would've been worried sick, but when she went to apologize Ellie dismissed her with a wave of her hand.

"Nora, you have nothing to be sorry for. Again, you risk life and limb for this man who willingly throws himself into danger without thinking." Ellie pointed a sharpened pencil at Nick as though it was a sword.

Nora stepped in front of Nick and tried to reason with the woman. "Ellie, Nick is back safe and everything went fine. We just went on a little detour through Goodneighbor afterwards. Cut him a little slack, hm?"

Nick saw that Ellie was close to the edge and so he decided to throw himself on the sword.

"You're right El." Nick rose his hands up in surrender, "I wasn't in my right mind, but I should've stuck around to lean on you two instead of running off. I guess I don't take well to relying on people."

Ellie's ire had died as quickly as it had surfaced and her features softened She sighed. It was the kind of sigh that mothers did when their child didn't know any better but still got themselves in trouble.

"Nick, I'm not mad about Jenny or you occasionally having flashbacks. Hell, I'm not even mad that you guys went cavorting through Goodneighbor. I'm mad that you're so damn prideful that you won't ask for help sometimes! You're not a robotic, Nick!"

Receiving a rueful but amused smirk and then realizing the error in her phrasing, she cursed. "Dammit. You know what I mean, Nick. You're human just like the rest of us. Even if you don't look it or feel it."

Once she composed herself, Ellie stormed around the small office and collected her things. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go to bed."

She turned from Nick and pulled Nora into a hug. Her expression softened. "Nora, again we owe you. I've said this before, but I think Nick should take you on as his partner. You chase after him enough that we ought to pay you for it by now."

Nora chuckled and hugged the woman back. Nick shifted awkwardly next to them and then gave Ellie a gentle hug as well.

"G'night El." Nick mumbled.

Ellie nodded in farewell and let the metal door close heavily behind her. Nick's head was hung low and his fingers quivered for a cigarette, but his pack was empty and it would be a few hours before any of the vendors opened. Percy, the Mister Handy at the Diamond City Surplus, refused to serve him despite their innate similarities. Apparently Moria's bigotry extended to her robotic help too.

"Well, that was … interesting." Nora remarked.

Nick offered a small grunt in affirmation and then ran hand beneath his fedora as though he was smoothing down a nonexistent cowlick or bad hat hair. The gesture was absent-minded, perhaps it was an echo of old Pre-War Nick leaking through, but his eyes held no warmth or mischievous glint. He seemed legitimately rebuked.

"Hey Valentine," Nora smirked and pressed her body against this chest. "D'you need me to help heal your bruised ego?"

Nick smirked gratefully at Nora's attempts for levity.

"My ego is fine, doll. My pride, though…" He sighed and sat his fedora low on his head, "Ellie's the only woman who could get a Deathclaw to feel shame and she's right about me, too. I've closed a lot of people out of my life. I'm not use to having people to rely on besides Ellie."

"Well, get use to it." Nora replied and snaked her arms around him. Nick's body was warm and she curled into him like a cat on a windowsill.

"Ya know, Ellie's right." Nick replied. His electric eyes sought hers out. "I should hire you on as my partner. I mean, after we find your son that is."

Nora laughed despite herself. "I was trained to be a lawyer, not a detective. I'd be terrible at it."

"I don't think that's true." Nick replied. "You found me twice now."

"Yeah, but the first time was a fluke. Ellie told me where you were last seen and you happened to still be there. That was more luck than anything."

Nick ignored her and continued. "And then finding me at Andrews Station when I didn't want to be found."

"Which was also a fluke. Has anyone told you that you're a hoarder? It didn't take much to look through some old newspapers to find out where you went." Nora wanted to joke around but then saw that Nick was serious.

"Just think about it, doll." Nick replied and placed a light kiss to her lips.

"I don't think it's fair to any other applicants that you're giving this job to the woman you're sleeping with." Nora smirked.

"To be fair, doll, there ain't exactly a line out the door of applicants. Not many people can stomach working with a synth. The fact that you can makes you a pretty outstanding applicant thus far."

His kisses traveled down to her cheek and then her chin. She sighed pleasantly and gently ran her hands along his tattered neck.

"And the fact that we've slept together has no bearing on this job offer?" Her voice was husky and quiet.

"I'm scandalized that you'd accuse an upstanding detective of abusing his authority." Nick jokingly chided. Nora rolled her eyes but felt the heat blossom beneath her skin when his hands ran across the thin fabric.

"Well, Ellie's gone. So how 'bout an interview right now?" Nora hopped up on Nick's desk and pulled him in close.

"I — it's only fair to warn you. This will be more like on-the-job training." Nick breathed out.

Nora's fingers began undoing his tie and the small buttons at his collar. "And what skills are you looking for in an applicant, Detective?"

Nick groaned when her warm hands snuck beneath his shirt ghosting over his skin. His gravel-like timbre seemed to purr. "Any partner of mine should be observant…"

Nora pulled out his shirttails from his trousers and deftly undid the rest of the buttons.

"… and she should take initiative…"

Nora yanked open his belt and the metal clinking from the buckle shocked Nick out of his lustful haze. He stiffened against Nora's legs.

"…just not that kind of initiative." He whispered.

Nora grinned at him and tried to soothe his insecurities with a searing kiss. Her hands ventured further and she was shocked and surprised to find out that he went commando beneath his dress slacks.

He stiffened at her touch. "Ah…Nora, please. There's nothing there—"

"— I don't care about that Nick." She replied gently.

'I know but I do." He whispered rather hoarsely. His hands, both synthetic and metal, gently fished hers out of his trousers and placed them back safely at his hips. "Maybe someday I'll be able to get over it, but not now…"

"Okay Nick." Nora replied and gave him another gentler kiss. Nora could work with Nick's anatomical limitations, but she felt there was an inequitable division of sexual pleasure in their relationship. Never in her life had she recieved this much oral attention from a man who was good at it. She wanted to repay the favor somehow; she wanted to turn the tables and drive Nick crazy with pleasure, but she was still working out the logistics of the birds and the synthetic bees in this new world.

"Thank you for being patient with me." He replied quietly. Again the insecurity that marred his face — the doubt, the fear, and even the disgust — broke Nora's heart.

"Hey, Valentine." She smirked coyly. "I hope that doesn't take me out of the running for the opening. I may not be very good at the hands-on training, but I'm great at theoretical questions. D'you wanna quiz me?"

Nick nearly attacked her mouth with his. The kiss was aggressive and it made her head swim in glee and satisfaction. When he broke away, his voice was husky and he was nearly panting.

"Alright. Tell me about a time when you dealt with an irate or aggressive perp and how did you handle the situation?"

Nora looked thoughtfully for a moment and then smirked. She smoothed the starched collar down on Nick's shirt and then began undoing his tie.

"Well, there was this mobster named Malone and his girlfriend was trying to convince him to off me and my partner. Except I got her to realize that Malone couldn't offer her the life that she wanted, and she left him. Malone let us walk and I'm happy to say it all ended peacefully."

She began unbuttoning his shirt and placing kisses beneath the stiff fabric. He sighed as her lips grazed his collar bone and threaded his fingers into her loose ponytail.

"Sounds like a successful mission then." Nick grunted.

"Anymore questions?" She smirked against his skin.

"Yeah. Right here or upstairs?"

Nora laughed and then moaned as Nick's hands gently palmed her breasts.

"Upstairs." She bit out. "Let's not give Ellie another reason to be mad."

Nick answered her with another searing kiss. She hooked her legs around his waist and let him carry her up the metal stairs.

* * *

The next day. Nick and Nora set out early and packed light. Nora left the green canvas duffle bag back at the agency and opted to bring the smaller messenger bag that she bought from Fallon's. For Nick's sake, they both checked in with Ellie before they left and then they made it to the Boston Common's early enough so the sun was still partially obscured behind ruined skyscrapers and old tenement buildings.

There, sitting in a long-dead garden, was a piece of plywood propped up against an empty metal trash can and it read: "At Journey's End Follow Freedom's Lantern." From the makeshift sign, a line of red brick was raised up out of the broken cobblestone and dirt and led past a inactive Protectron before cutting into an alley.

"Hold up, Doll." Nick whispered and crouched low. "We don't want to mess with Swan. Let's give him a wide berth before we pick up the trail again."

"Who's Swan?" She asked.

"He's a behemoth." Nick explained but then elaborated when the term didn't register on Nora's face. "He's a really old Super Mutant. He's old, ugly, and mean as hell when he's woken from a nap. If you look by that swan boat, you can see a fire hydrant sticking out of the water. That's him. I had the displeasure of watching him beat a hapless trader to a pulp with it. There wasn't anything left of the man to bury."

Nora grimaced at the description and kept her weight low to the ground as she snuck past the figure resting in the water. Once they made it far enough out of the Boston Commons, Nora noticed that the red path met up with a bronze medallion that had words etched on it's face. One of the letters was marked with red paint.

"The 'A' here is highlighted." Nora observed. Nick marked it down on a small memo pad that he always had on him.

The duo traced the path to the Massachusetts State House first and then went point by point as though they were following the plot of an old scavenger hunt. Each time they stopped, Nick marked down the corresponding letter. The waypoints had them stop at a prominent, albeit derelict and sometimes destroyed, landmark of Pre-War Boston. The journey to the end of the line was fraught with danger. Taking part of Hancock's advice, Nora gave Faneuil Hall a wide berth and cut North underneath some overpasses towards the ruins of Bunker Hill.

"Apparently, if we follow the water East we should pick the trail back up." Nora remarked as she fiddled with her Pip Boy.

Nick and Nora followed the crumbling road along the bank of the Charles River and weaved through overturned delivery trucks that were now rusted from the salt and the rain. Nora walked cautiously and had her finger on the trigger of her gun. Black crows took flight from the top of a whitewashed deck and their loud cries broke the tense silence.

"We're in dangerous territory here, doll." Nick commented.

Nick hadn't been to this side of Boston in a while. Even when out on a case, he rarely made it past Goodneighbor. In fact, if he ventured too far outside the city while on a missing person's case, it usually bonded ill for the victim. The Commonwealth held far more dangers than just raiders or super mutants.

As they walked, he had his own pistol out and scanned the area for anything unusual. Nick and Nora saw nothing as they walked along the riverside. Nora's hair prickled at the back of her neck.

"Is it usually this quiet?" Nora asked warily.

"No, it's not." Nick replied. "Keep an eye out. Holler if you see anything funny. We're awfully exposed out here."

Wood covered scaffolding and skeletons hung from chains and blew in the wind like macabre wind chimes. The place looked like it was once a hotbed for raiders, but now not even the black crows that were sitting on the broken power pylons made noise.

They crept along the road until they heard a blood-curdling scream echo out from an alleyway. Two shadows flickered across a red door that lit by a single kerosene lamp.

"Get down and hide." Nick hissed.

Nora ducked behind an overturned car and peeked cautiously over the cracked windshield. Nick crept towards the alley. A man emerged from the left and was dragging a body by the arms. Nick ducked down and hid around the corner; Nora saw the man's lips moving but she couldn't hear what he was saying.

The man was dressed in a dirty tan suit and had a dying flower pinned to the lapel. The person lying outside of the door was clearly a raider, but he or she looked dead.

Nick peeked around the corner cautiously and could hear the man mumbling to himself. The words weren't making sense to Nick so he chalked it up to being the ramblings of a madman. That was until the man propped the raider up against the wall and placed a rust colored bucket next to him. A glint of silver met the raider's neck and crimson blood spewed forth into the metal can.

Nora looked away as a cold sweat crept down her back. Nausea twisted her guts into knots. When she peeked back over the car, she didn't see Nick any longer. His gun fired off shots in rapid succession and she heard him let out a pained groan.

"Nick!" She cried but immediately clapped her hand over her mouth. The nearby crows took flight, and her heartbeat was pounding in her ears but she made herself wait. He was the expert here. He was the better shot, and he was more resilient. She didn't want to go blundering into an ambush unprepared.

All was quiet and Nora counted each second as it passed. When she reached sixty, she couldn't wait any longer. She ran towards the alleyway before she could stop herself. Her hands trembled but adrenaline pumped through her veins to help her steady her aim.

She happened upon the man as he emerged from the plain red door and finally got a good look at him. Aside for his hands, there wasn't a spot of blood or grime that stained the tan fabric. His hair was combed back neatly and kept in place with some sort of gel or tonic. His beard was also neatly trimmed. He was an attractive man, Nora thought, but of course that didn't absolve him of murder.

"Drop the weapon!" She barked. Thankfully her voice held steady. Her gun was pointed at the man's chest.

Nora looked around frantically but she couldn't find Nick. Three thick droplets of a black substance sat in front of the man's feet at the entrance to the doorway. Nearby, a sick gurgle came from the raider. His eyes were glassy but flickering aimlessly in their sockets. To Nora's horror, she realized that the raider was still alive.

The man looked lazily at the raider bleeding out and sighed. "You can never find good materials these days."

His voice was light and almost feminine. His eyes pierced into Nora's and his lips twitched minutely as though he had just remembered a funny joke right then.

"What did you do to Nick?" Nora's eyes blazed in fury to mask the fear that crackled over her skin.

"Nick? Oh you mean that robot you were with?" The well-dressed man smirked again. "He's admiring the paintings in my gallery. Black's such a lovely color, don't you think? It's so captivating and assertive. I always prefer to use the better quality materials from those synths. They help create such beautiful works of art. But you … you will be the next piece I will feature."

Nora still had no idea what he was talking about, yet the man's eyes appraised Nora hungrily and a cold chill crept down her spine.

"Let Nick go and I won't kill you." Despite her best attempt to calm her nerves, her voice faltered and she knew the bluff had failed.

The man closed the distance and pressed his chest against the barrel of her gun. The weapon's cold steel was directed over his heart. One pull of the trigger could easily end his life.

"Why don't you do it then, killer? Both of his hands cupped her face tenderly but his skin was like ice and everything inside of her told her to fight back or run. Just as she felt his grip tighten around the sides of her face, Nora closed her eyes and squeezed the trigger.

Nora heard nothing else after the gunshot but saw the man drop to his knee and put pressure on the wound in his chest. As he did, a flash of silver came from beneath his pant leg and glinted once more before it sliced through Nora's side. She shot again and this time the man dropped to the ground holding his stomach.

He smiled and injected a stimpack into his body and dispensed the plunger. The insane smile crew into a full on cackle.

Her t-shirt stuck to the fresh wound and she tried to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. The wound didn't feel deep, but the pain made her head swim. She backed up into the red wooden door and nearly toppled over as it swung open.

The man's venomous expression watched her from the street as he applied pressure to both of his wounds. He was propped up against the stone alleyway wall and his knife sat five feet away in the dirt. Nora should've shot him in the head and ended it all but something stayed her hand.

"I'll see you around, killer." He replied. His smirk was borderline flirtatious. "Next time, don't bring your boyfriend. I prefer my women unattached."

Nora closed the door with trembling hands and flipped the metal lock from the inside, yet she didn't feel safe.

The interior of the derelict apartment building was covered in partially melted candles that casted an erie glow along the flaking wallpaper. An overpowering stench hit her nose and she suppressed the bile that rose to her throat. When she stepped into the first room, she saw Nick propped up against an old steamer trunk that was placed on some sort of alter.

"Jesus, Nick!"

Nora ran to him and ripped off the duct tape that was over his mouth. His hands were tied with a thin chord but the rope was stuck against a metal bolt in Nick's damaged hand.

"What the hell happened to you?" she yelled. Now she understood Ellie's anger earlier. Nick could've died. That thought unsettled her.

"There's no time for that now. We need to get out of here, doll." Nick rasped.

"Are you hurt?" She asked. He didn't look injured, albeit a bit disheveled, but the black substances that dotted the ground like angry ink blots worried her.

"No, all he had time for was to tie me up. The bastard had a shock baton stashed behind the door and hit me with it as soon as I chased after him."

Nora gasped as her hand jostled her side and a raw white hot pain jolted through her body.

"Nora, are you hurt?" Nick asked.

She waved away his concern with a bloodstained hand, but he couldn't be sure that the blood was hers or just a product of this messed up torture dungeon. "Don't worry about me. First, we got to get you loose."

After fumbling with the knot uselessly, Nora grabbed a metal blade from the altar and cut the chords free. Each slice send clumps of rusty powder everywhere. When the binds finally broke, Nora pulled Nick to his feet and took off through a door and went down the nearest staircase.

The wood was damp and Nora slipped down the last four steps and landed roughly on her back. The wound began bleeding again. This time it began to ache in addition to sting.

"Shit, Nora you're bleeding! We have to stop."

"We can't." She panted. Despite her protest, her body was begging her to stop.

"Doll. We gotta at least stimpack it."

"Let's get someplace safe first and then I'll let you do whatever the fuck you want to me." She snapped. That was the pain talking and Nick knew it, but he still didn't like how much Nora was trembling.

Nick took the lead through the dank basement and then down into the sewers.

Of course this asshole lives in a sewer. He thought bitterly. He also cursed the Institute for giving him working nose. The stench of human waste, mold, and 200 years worth of rotting garbage was enough to make his eyes water.

As they meandered through the tunnels, Nick also noticed that several machine gun turrets were either broken or deactivated. They weren't the first ones to come through here. He gripped his gun a little tighter.

When they finally reached a ledge that led to a large cistern, Nick jumped down first so he could help Nora off the ledge. Her hands were clammy and her forehead was developing a cold sheen of sweat. In the faint candlelight, he could see that the entire side of her shirt was bloodstained.

She landed roughly into his arms and nearly sank to her knees until Nick pulled her up.

"C'mon doll. I think we're almost out."

Nora looked around the room and noticed that several bodies were slumped over in pools of blood. These raiders didn't have slices across their throats, but each one had a piece of paper laying nearby with a large black "X" on it. As she hobbled towards the hallway, she saw that the brick wall had several hash marks carved out. The hashmarks totaled 37 and ten of those were then filled in with black ink…or at least Nora hoped it was ink.

"What do you think those are?" She asked Nick.

He appraised the marks disdainfully and pulled Nora into the hallway. He knew exactly what those marks were for. Serial killers and sociopaths hadn't changed in 200 years. In fact, the lack of a steady law enforcement made peoples' depravity easier to get away with. Those hashmarks were just one piece of evidence that this serial killer liked to keep track of his victims like it was some macabre game.

"C'mon doll." He replied without answering her question.

Both of them breathed a sigh of relief when they encountered a nondescript door towards the end of the hallway. Nick undid the chains and pushed the door open. The midday sun was blinding as they stepped out into the alley. By the look of the waterfront, they had only traveled ten blocks or so away from their starting point.

"Thank God we made it." She groaned. Fresh air had never smelled sweeter to Nora. Now she was leaning against Nick as she shuffled down the alleyway. The wound was now hot. It felt like someone had placed glowing coals inside of her skin, but she felt feverish but cold.

"Doll, look!" Nick pointed to the ground. Beneath some rubble, a red brick path continued down the alley and hooked to the right. The duo followed the trail around the corner and saw that it stopped at the base of some stairs where a trail of red paint led them to the door of the Old North Church.

"I think we're at the end of the line, doll." Nick replied with relief. He helped Nora up the stairs and opened the door to the darkened church.

A giant stain glass window let in multicolored light, but a hallway off to the right had a small kerosene lantern that was lit. Several pews sat tipped over, and the decaying bodies of raiders and feral ghouls sat like morbid decorations along the moldy floor.

"Here, take a seat here and take off your shirt." Nick commanded.

Nora tried to lift the thin cloth over her head but found that her arms lacked the strength. She tried twice and then whimpered pathetically.

Nick helped her and gently removed the blood-stained garment. He steeled his reaction to Nora's wound; it was much, much worse than he expected.

The knife had sliced five inches below her left breast, and although the wound wasn't deep, the skin around it was discolored. Lines of sickly green and deep cerulean blue creeped out from the wound. The bleeding had finally stopped, but the area looked inflamed and infected. Of course, trudging thorough knee deep sewage would infect almost anything.

"H-how does it look?" Nora asked weakly. She was so tired but fought against the fatigue.

"It doesn't look good, doll." Nick replied honestly. "I don't think a stimpack will do much good. How are you feeling?"

"Like shit." Nora bark-coughed. "Is it infected?"

"Yes…" But there was something more Nick realized. "… and I think it's poisoned."

Poisoned with what? Nora thought and then pushed those thoughts away. "We have to keep going. If the Freedom Trail ends here, then these Railroad people have to be somewhere.

She struggled to her feet and thought about taking the blood-soaked shirt and then changed her mind. Although she really had no choice, she knew that showing up at some clandestine organization in nothing but a bra would raise some eyebrows.

"I hope these people don't mind me showing a little skin." She grumbled.

Nick rolled his eyes and sloughed off his trench coat. He wrapped it around Nora's shoulders and cinched the belt loosely around her waist. "Here, now you wont look so exposed."

"Ever the gentleman." Nora joked. If they weren't standing in a decrepit church with dead bodies strewn around, the gesture would've been something akin to the romance classics that Nora and her mom use to watch on television.

"Do you think you can walk, if I support you?"

"Yes." Nora struggled to her feet as if to prove it. She eyed her bag warily. They had packed light but the bag would be impossible for her to carry in this state and Nick needed to be free to grab his gun if the occasion called for it.

"Don't worry, doll." Nick replied after following her gaze. "We'll tuck it away and come back for it later. These bodies are too far decomposed; nobody's been this way in a while. I doubt someone's going to steal our stuff in a matter of hours."

Satisfied with that answer, Nora walked with Nick to the wooden staircase and grimaced with each breath. Each step creaked beneath their weight. Nora grimaced as they stepped into ankle deep cold water and could hear her Pipboy's geiger counter clicking at her.

As they went deeper into the caverns and passed the bodies of more feral ghouls, Nora cried out and collapsed to her knees. Her side was aching terribly and she couldn't hear anything besides her racing heartbeat.

"We're almost there, doll. Just a bit more. Do you need me to carry you?"

She saw Nick's lips moving but she couldn't make out what he was trying to say. Instead, a white chalk drawing of a lit lantern caught her eye. She tried to remember why the lanterns were significant. Then she noticed a large turn dial with letters around the perimeter rather than numbers.

"Nora, c'mon. Answer me." He brushed away the tears that stained her face. She wasn't making a sound, but she was trembling fiercely and Nick wondered if the toxin was partly a paralytic as well.

Her breath was coming in shallow gasps and she could feel her chest tighten as her organs began swelling from the toxin.

She blinked once and noticed that Nick had put her on a pile of rubble that was slightly above the flooded area. He worked frantically as he spun the giant turn dial to each letter.

She blinked again and then saw Nick pounding on the dial as though he was pounding on a door. He was frantic. His fedora was tipped askew and his metal hand was beginning to spark.

She blinked a third time and saw nothing but a bright artificial light, a man's unfamiliar face, and then Nick's brief lingering touch before he was hauled out of the room by a burly looking mahogany woman.


	16. Subterfuge, Secrets, and Guile

There's a lot of dialogue in this chapter, and the Railroad introduction is really off script from the game (hopefully it's a nice change of pace from the canned and oft repeated in-game script). Also, Deacon comes off as a bit more of a prick than I originally intended. Sorry Deacon lovers! I promise that he'll soften before too long.

Chapter 16 - Subterfuge, Secrets, and Guile

"Vault Dweller? Vault Dweller can you hear me?" A voice called from what seemed to be the ceiling.

Nora croaked out. "Where's Nick."

She tried to open her eyes and found that someone had blindfolded her and tied her wrists and ankles to a bed. She could still feel Nick's coat on her body but also felt that somebody had removed it from her shoulders and draped it over her like a blanket.

"Your synth friend is busy at the moment." The voice responded. He seemed irritated and the abrupt clip to his voice told her that she shouldn't ask anymore questions.

Shit, she thought. What if he drugged me? She remembered the well-dressed man with the cold eyes, the flirtatious smile, and the poisoned knife. Maybe she never made it out of his house of horrors. Maybe Nick was dead and maybe she was next.

She felt a dry, warm hand on the inside of her wrist. His pressure seemed feather light, but she flinched despite herself. What was he was trying to do? She thought. The touch was too gentle to belong to a man that cruel.

"You need to calm down." The voice said. "Your pulse is way to fast for the amount of sedatives you're coming off of. You need to calm down before you have a panic attack."

It was a warning. It was like the type of warning a parent would give to a child or a doctor to a patient. It was out of concern for her well-being and not out of impatience or a need for her to be an easy, obedient victim. No. It couldn't be him, Nora reasoned. She exhaled a sigh of relief. Yet, she still didn't understand why she was tied up.

"Please. Just let me go." She begged and struggled against the bindings. They had some give to them and Nora could feel her hand slipping through one of the bonds.

"Don't do that." The same voice barked. His warm hand grabbed Nora's wrist and refastened the knots at her wrist. "These are to stop you from hurting yourself on accident. You were thrashing around too much when we administered the last course of anti-venom, and your stitches from the knife wound are still healing. I worked too hard to have you pull out your stitches by doing something reckless or impulsive."

"Why did you blindfold me then?"

"You're still a person-of-interest until my boss can decide if you're a threat to us or not." He replied matter-of-factly.

Memories began flooding back to her sporadically. After she was sliced by the knife, she and Nick went … somewhere. The name was on the tip of Nora's tongue. She remembered following something called the Liberty Trail? No that didn't sound right. But it led her to a church and down into the church's catacombs.

Then her memories returned like someone had flipped a switch on in her brain. She had found the Railroad.

"Who's your boss? Are we still beneath the Old North Church? Are you part of the Railroad?" Questions sprang to her mind faster than she could spit them out.

The man audibly groaned as though the questions were a personal affront. "Stop! Please stop. You'll get answers to those questions soon enough."

Nora frowned in frustration. She was in pain, she was hungry, and she was tired. If these people would simply answer her questions, then she could start making the trip back home with Nick. After everything that had transpired in the past eight hours or so, she decided that she had more than enough adventuring for one day.

"Can I see Nick?" She asked.

"No." He responded. His voice was on the other end of the room and she heard him whisper to someone else but couldn't make out what was said. She didn't hear a door open or close, nor did she hear the subtle swoosh of a hospital curtain or even a makeshift curtain, but she did hear light footsteps approach the bed.

Nora felt the presence of another person at her side. Her heart thumped rapidly as she fought to keep still. Although the sedatives they had given her were starting to wear off, Nora still felt chilled.

"So." The voice said. The voice belonged to a female, but she sounded just as blunt and abrupt as the last person. "You went through an awful lot of effort to arrange this meeting and nearly ended up getting yourself killed in the process. So tell me. Who the hell are you?"

Her voice was authoritative and gruff. Nora could smell the acrid tobacco smoke from a lit cigarette.

"I'm Nora." She replied evenly. "We followed the Freedom Trail looking for the Railroad but we were sidetracked when a psycho abducted Nick and then stabbed me. How close was I to dying?"

"Very close." The woman replied. "You both are lucky you escaped. Pickman has been on the top of several peoples' hit lists for a while. He's responsible for the murder of at least five of our … constituents over the past month."

Nora knew the woman was being intentionally vague, so she decided to change the subject.

"Is Nick okay?" Nora asked. She didn't remember much after they descended the stairs into the church basement, but she remembered how the sparks danced across the stone floor as Nick pounded away at the metal turn dial.

"Detective Valentine nearly forced his way into here. We stopped him before he managed to cause serious harm to himself, but he was quite irate. He's here, but he's indisposed at the moment." Nora could hear the smirk in the woman's voice. Something was amusing, but Nora couldn't figure out what.

Suddenly, the woman pulled the blindfold from Nora's eyes. She winced against the artificial light and tried to turn away. Two large floodlights illuminated the small cavern. When the black dots in her eyes finally dissipated, Nora got a good look at her judge. The sandy haired woman was smoking a cigarette and was looking at her with hard brown eyes. Her face held a wan, stressed look. The woman looked like she had seen more than a lifetime of battles. Permanent crows feet sat at the corners of her eyes and her face was laced with innocuous smudges of dirt. She looked to be around thirty-five, but Nora assumed that hard living out in the wasteland had prematurely aged her.

"So, you took a risk looking for the Railroad. I hope it paid off. I'm Desdemona. I'm the leader of the Railroad."

Nora frowned and looked around at the cavern. She wasn't in a hospital room at all but rather a dank, chilly cavern. The place was small and water dripped from the stone ceiling. On the other side of the small room sat two floodlights, and behind them a dark-skinned woman with cropped silver hair held an impressively gun and aimed it right at her. Nora recognized her as the woman who dragged Nick away.

"This is it?" Nora remarked before she could stop herself. She tried to sit up but the binds prevented her from raising anything except her head. The twinge of pain in her side grew to a dull throb. "You guys live in a cave?"

Desdemona scowled. "This is just a holding area for people we haven't vetted yet. It makes disposing the body easier when we can just throw you back out the door and into the sewers."

Nora thought that Desdemona was joking, but then saw that the woman with the minigun grinned. Desdemona waved her hand through the air like she was swatting at an unseen bug. "Let's not stand on ceremony here. I still have more questions for you, and you will answer them."

Nora heard the hidden message in her order. 'You will answer them' meant 'you will answer them honestly or you will die.'

Desdemona stood over her. Her hard gaze seemed to pierce into Nora's very soul. "First of all, why did you come all this way to find us? Who sent you?"

"Nobody sent me." Nora replied. "I came here because I need your help. My son Shaun was kidnaped."

"And what makes you think we'd help you?"

Nora flinched. She made a good point. She knew very little about the Railroad aside for the fact that they had someone who could help her build the relay. Just because someone could help didn't mean they would help.

"Look." Nora began, "I was sent here because I need to build something, and I was told that you guys were the only ones who could help. I can't force you to help. Hell, I don't think I could even pay you to, but I kind of figured that an organization this secretive may need some favors later on down the line from people more out in the open."

Nora talked fast and free but regretted every word that she said. These Railroad people would surely cash in this favor, and Nora knew that their tasks would probably be unpleasant and incredibly dangerous.

Desdemona smirked and took another drag from her cigarette. She exhaled the smoke from her nostrils and began pacing in front of Nora like a caged animal. There was a burning heat behind her intense, damming gaze as the woman appraised her.

"Who are you?" This question was rhetorical, but Desdemona continued. "You don't look like a scavver. You're too clean to be a junkie who found her way in on accident, and you walked in with the most well-known synth in all of the Commonwealth while wearing a Vault Tec Pip-Boy on your arm. You come here expecting our help, but you're willing to barter if necessary." She summarized. "Strange…"

"Wait, You know Nick?" Nora interrupted.

"Of course we know about him." Desdemona replied impatiently. "We would've left you for dead out there if he wasn't with you."

"Is he part of the Railroad?" Nora asked wide-eyed. Suddenly she felt completely out of her depth. It never occurred to her that Nick might be hiding things about himself, and the thought really bothered her.

Desdemona let out a smoky chuckle. "Not formally. We tried to recruit him a couple of years ago but he politely declined. Nevertheless, he's valuable to us. Hopefully that small bit of information proves to you that he's indeed alive. We would never harm him or anyone like him. So now let's try this again because I don't believe part of your story."

"What? Why?"

"You're omitting too much." Desdemona accused. "Detective Valentine has told us that you're looking to get into the Institute to find your kidnapped son. But you didn't just come to us for help with a common problem. Kidnappings happen all of the time. You came to us expecting we could help you infiltrate the most dangerous organization in Boston. That could bode really well for us or very poorly for you."

At the word "Institute" the coffee-skinned woman sporting a large mini gun rose it a little higher and aimed the barrel at Nora's head.

"How much has Nick told you about me?"

"Everything." She replied smugly. "So let's start at the beginning and hopefully your story corroborates with Valentine's"

Nora swallowed thickly and spoke quickly. She told her story. She told the woman everything from waking up in Vault 111, to burying her husband beneath the large tree in the cay-du-sac, and to helping out the Minutemen in Concord. She also mentioned her near death encounter outside of Diamond City and how she met Nick. She left Hancock out of her story; she wasn't sure if the Railroad knew as much about him as they did about Nick, but she didn't want to unknowingly drag him into this.

Desdemona said nothing after Nora's confession, but instead she snapped her fingers and a man dressed in a old postman's uniform removed the small messenger bag that he had slung around his shoulder.

"We recovered your bag from the church." The man explained. Nora could only nod. She didn't trust herself to speak anymore. She felt out of her depth and like she was standing in front of a large machine that could suck her in and tear her to shreds if she made the wrong step.

Nora kept a neutral face as he rifled through its contents. After discarding her armor, weapons, and meager assortment of stimpacks and meds, he pulled out the blueprints and unfolded them. Then he handed it to the woman with a sharp flick of his arm. His gestures were the habit of a man who never slowed down or sat to rest — they were quick and efficient.

She scrutinized the illustration and her eyes flicked over the parts list. Her lips were pursed, although Nora didn't know whether it was from secret pleasure or distain.

"Where did you get this?" She asked. Again her hard eyes bore into Nora's and she replied automatically.

"An Institute scientist defected and was hiding out in The Glowing Sea. He drew up these blueprints and wrote the list of materials. He said that the Institute uses teleportation — he called them relays — to get in and out of the Institute."

"Get these to our Agent. He'll know what to do with them."

The man in the blue postal uniform gave a quick, curt nod and took off running into the dark alcove and up the stairs.

Desdemona thew her spent cigarette butt into the sand and stomped on it with the heel of her boot. Then she pulled out a small pocketknife and cut the fabric loose from Nora's arms and legs.

Nora gingerly rubbed her wrists and tried to shake the blood back into her fingers. Her side was still sore, but the sedative had run its course through her body. The fever was gone and Nora felt strong enough to stand.

Desdemona helped Nora put Nick's coat on. "Mister Valentine told me about your shirt. I'll have someone scrounge up some clean clothes for you to change in."

Her tenderness and concern shocked Nora. "So does that mean you've vetted me?"

"No." She responded. The warmth in her eyes was gone. "The vetting process is a lot more complicated than that. However, your story matches with what Valentine told us. So we're going to give you a chance, and if we decide you can't be trusted, we can always kill you later."

"Wonderful." Nora replied sarcastically.

"Deacon, you can come out now. You've been sulking long enough." The woman's voice still held authority but Nora could hear a softer edge to her command.

"Aw Des, you guys were having a party and forgot to invite me?" A man spoke as he walked out of the darkness. "You know how I love these interrogations."

The man was slim and tall. Dark sunglasses obscured his eyes and his face held a wry, sarcastic grin. He dressed plainly in a tattered white t-shirt and some dirty blue jeans. He looked her up and down and Nora pulled Nick's coat tighter around her body.

"You know, no offense, but you don't look like a woman who could take down a grizzled mercenary and live to tell about it."

Nora clenched her teeth. Ire and annoyance spawned several flippant and rude remarks but she bit her tongue.

"How do you know about Kellogg?" She asked.

"Oh, I know nearly everything about your movements over these past few months." Deacon responded. His grin was good-natured but he also seemed incredibly proud of his accomplishments. "Darling, everyone knows about what you did to Kellogg. I'm sure the Institute knows by now too."

"Well, I'm sorry that I don't measure up to your expectations." Nora bit out flippantly. "At least it's a good thing that I don't have to prove anything to you."

"Actually you do." Desdemona broke in. "He's in charge of your vetting process."

"What?!" Nora and Deacon both exclaimed.

"C'mon Des." Deacon pleaded. "Can't we just skip it? I get the need to be on our guard, —."

"Quiet Deacon." She snapped and then she turned to Nora.

"So Vault Dweller. You claimed that you were willing to help out our organization in exchange for our help. The deal is this: you will work with Deacon and help him recover an important piece of tech that was left behind at our previous headquarters. If you do that successfully, then I will provide as many people and resources as you need to help you get into the Institute."

"Des!" Deacon protested. "I don't work with partners."

"You do now." She replied curtly to Deacon and then turned to Nora. "So what do you say? Do we have a deal?"

"Nick is coming with me." Nora stated firmly.

"No, he's not." Desdemona replied. "He's currently running diagnostics with one of our tech guys. I've been told that he's out of commission for the rest of the night, and this mission is time sensitive. You both need to leave within the hour."

Nora looked at hand that Desdemona offered. She didn't like the idea of not having Nick with her. She couldn't imagine traveling the wasteland without him. He had become such a permanent fixture, but then again, she couldn't let that stand in the way of her finding Shaun.

"Fine. It's a deal." She shook the woman's hand.

Despite their agreement, Nora was still not allowed past the yellow floodlights. The mocha-skinned woman, who she found out was named Glory, threw her some clean clothes and turned her back so she could change.

The cold air created goosebumps along her arms and legs and she dressed as quickly as her healing wound would allow. The clothes were similar to Deacon's; a pair of jeans sported some dirt and grass stains on the knees and hung off her hips. She pulled the white shirt over her head with some difficulty and then pulled on a cotton flannel that was warm but moth-eaten. Then she strapped on her leather arm and leg guards and fixed her Pipboy on her wrist.

"Here. Don't lose this." Deacon commented and handed her a heavy brown leather jacket. The inside of the jacket had a coarse mesh fabric sewed inside of it.

Nora saw that Deacon had already changed clothes. He kept the dirty jeans, but he was now wearing dirty farmhand clothes and a wide-brimmed hat.

"That's ballistic fiber." He commented. "You'll need it with where we're going. Just don't lose it. The fabric is worth more than both of our lives."

Nora pulled on the jacket and found that it fit her well. The ballistic fiber that was sewed inside didn't chafe against her skin and felt rather comfortable.

"So is taking me with you part of a punishment?" Nora commented lightly. "Like, 'oh Deacon fucked up so lets saddle him with the untrustworthy drifter and see if he can prove himself again.'"

Nora winced at her sarcasm and flippant tone. Part of it was the pain talking, but most of it was the emotional pain of the past few hours welling up inside of her.

Deacon looked at her and Nora knew he was glaring from behind his sunglasses. "Let me just put it this way. Like it or not, you and I are a team. This is a 'you scratch my back and I scratch yours' kind of deal. If you make me look good by not royally screwing up this mission, then I will be at your every beck and call. I'll tell Des to throw a whole red carpet welcome and everything. But until then, let's muzzle the smart ass attitude, capiche?

Nora rolled her eyes. "Let's just get this done, shall we?"

"Just a second, sweetheart." Deacon replied. "Let's lay a few ground rules first. This organization cannot run without absolute secrecy and discretion. Seeing as you just crawled out of a vault a few short months ago, I know you're still getting your feet beneath you in this new world. You need to follow any and all directions that I give. Don't ask questions, and don't talk too much."

"Is the 'don't talk too much rule' just so you can hear yourself talk?" Nora cut in sarcastically. Apparently she was going to have problems with the 'don't be a smart ass' rule.

"More attitude, that's cute." He remarked grumpily and handed her a bag. He then grabbed his own bag. "I hope you're up for a walk. Carrington left you some meds and some other stuff to help with pain management. Though try to hold off on taking it, okay? I need you clear-headed for where we are going."

Nora bit her tongue against another sarcastic comment and followed Deacon out into the sewers. She checked her Pipboy but saw that someone had disabled it. The only message that flashed across the screen read: SYSTEM FUNCTION ERROR. CONTACT OVERSEER FOR REPLACEMENT MODEL.

"Sorry. We had to disable it." Except he didn't look all that sorry. "We can't risk that you'll try to send out a distress signal that could compromise our location."

"Man you guys are paranoid." Nora scowled.

"Yeah but we're alive, and you never know who may be watching." He replied. His voice was quiet and serious as they stepped out of the Old North Church and walked into the sunlight. Two crows took flight from the long dead apple tree that sat in the small courtyard when they passed by.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nick's eyes snapped opened and his optics zoomed in and out as they tried to adjust their focus. His artificial heart began thumping and he gasped as air forced its way into his lungs. It has been a while since he had put himself through that thorough of a diagnostic scan.

"Ho hoh, Mister Valentine. You're looking fresh and bright-eyed." A dark skinned man replied as he dropped a large wooden milk crate full of electronic salvage. "Didja have a good diagnostic scan?"

Nick rose up from the couch that he had been laying on and stretched languidly. Although he didn't sleep, this was as close to a good night's rest that he'd ever get.

"The scan went fine, Tom. Thanks for letting me use your couch."

Nick was being polite. 'Use' wasn't exactly the appropriate word here. When Nora slumped over on that pile of concrete, she began wheezing and then she stopped breathing. The previous code of 'REVERE' wasn't working — little did he know that they changed it to RAILROAD months earlier — and Nora was minutes away of dying from anaphylactic shock.

So, Nick had no other choice but to try to break down the god dammed door. He nearly worked himself to a full system shutdown before Desdemona and her ragtag group of spies came to investigate. It took Tom, Deacon, and Glory to haul him away from Nora as Carrington began intubating her airway so he could administer CPR chest compressions while Glory administered an antidote for the poison and an antihistamine to stop the internal anaphylactic swelling. As Nick was dragged into the HQ, Tom managed to deliver a small electric shock to the exposed wiring in his neck which caused his systems to do a full reboot.

"Hey, uh. Mister Valentine." Tom began. He seemed embarrassed; although he often bounced from paranoia to mania in a matter of minutes so this was a minor improvement at least. "I um, I'm sorry about that reboot. It's just that you were freaking out and —"

"— It's fine Tom." Nick interrupted. Of all the agents, Nick liked Tom the most. Yes, he was odd, and paranoid, and Nick was pretty sure that he got some sort of sexual gratification from his technological inventions, but Tom at least honest. Honesty was a rare trait to find in an organization that was built on double truths, lies, and subterfuge.

"How is Nora doing?" He asked. "Do you know where Carrington put her?"

"I, uh, I think she went out with Deacon to recover Carrington's prototype."

"Run that by me again." Nick frowned at the small, watery-eyed man.

Tom squeaked like a mouse and began sorting through his box of equipment unable to meet the detective's eye. "Look…uh. A full reboot takes at least 48 hours to finish. It scanned your entire body, processors, and systems all the way down to the microchip and cellular level!"

"Tom, when did she leave?" Nick asked bluntly.

"I — I dunno, man. They don't tell me anything!"

"Nora left an hour ago with one of our top agents to help us with an in-house matter." Desdemona's voice interrupted. Her tone also told him that this 'in-house matter' was also confidential and shouldn't be asked about.

"What in the world would possess you to do that?" He growled and advanced towards the woman. "She nearly died on your doorstep and you're sending her out with Deacon?"

Desdemona pursed her lips and then frowned. "Detective, her almost dying is not our fault. Besides, we did you both a huge favor when Carrington helped treat her wound. Now she's repaying that kindness back to us. She and I have struck up an accord; she helps us recover a piece of missing tech and we help her get into the Institute."

"Why are you sending her out this soon? Your prototype isn't gonna disappear if you waited eight or ten more hours."

Desdemona's expression was cool and pointed. "Mister Valentine, you may be an exceptional detective, but you're not a fortune teller. That prototype is important to our cause and it was imperative that we send out agents as soon as we could spare them. Recovering it is a two-agent job and after the collapse of the Switchboard, we've been down several agents. Nora may not be in top fighting shape, but she is still fighting thanks to us."

"Why is everything an eye-for-an-eye with you all?" Nick argued. "Nora gave you a way to teleport into the Institute. What, that's not mutually beneficial enough for you?"

Her cool brown eyes steeled against Nick's indignant anger. "You of all people should know that we aren't a charity. We have one primary mission and saving wayward human strays isn't one of them. She helps our cause and we help hers. It's equitable."

"It's not equitable when you're not playing with a full deck." Nick countered. "Does she know that the place you're leading her is probably crawling with Gen-1 synths? Did you also tell her that coursers have hits out on every one of you? She's guilty by association just by being within ten feet of Deacon."

"Deacon will fill her in on all of this when she's proven herself trustworthy." Desdemona replied. "Although, I'm curious as to why you seem so against her aiding our cause. You stand as much to gain as she does with this little partnership."

"This is not a partnership, it's extortion! You've got her by the short hairs here." Nick accused. He knew that the Railroad had their hearts in the right place with their synth liberation agenda. However, Nick saw organizations like this rise and then fall under their own self-importance.

"Deacon will fill her in on the details once he decides that she can be trusted." Desdemona replied. "But of course, I'm also curious. Why did you search us out at all if you didn't want her to get involved in our organization? We have all of the intel we need on her. Deacon has been tailing her ever since she emerged from that Vault. What is your end game here, Detective?"

"My 'end game' is to help Nora find her son." He growled. He didn't like the insinuating tone that had leaked into Desdemona's words.

"No, I don't think that's it. At least, that's not your only goal." She replied with a knowing smile. He held her steely gaze like he was staring down a hungry predator. Looking away meant showing weakness, and Nick would never allow himself to do that.

"If her son is indeed in the Institute, like you say, and if she manages to find him, what then? Glory said that she never saw a child during the entire time she was imprisoned there. So either her son is grown and has integrated with the rest of the brainwashed populace, or he's another casualty of scientific progress. Once she arrives, you of all people know that she wont be allowed to leave. Does Nora know that particular detail?"

Nick's jaw clenched in anger.

"No, I believe she doesn't." Desdemona continued. "But she could feed you information about what the Institute is up to. She would be a very helpful little mole. If she dropped a note or some old scientific studies down a particular trash chute that led to the outside world, I wonder what enterprising Detective might happen to wander by on trash day and find them."

"Why would that information be useful to me?" Nick countered. "I was in the Institute longer than Glory was. I don't need insider information."

"No, but you may be curious to know how the entire synth creating process actually works. You're the bridge between the Gen-2 and Gen-3 synths — the discarded failed prototype — and now the Institute is pumping out better, superior versions of yourself by the hundreds. Surely you wouldn't be interested in an upgrade?"

Nick glared at the woman. She had gotten under his skin and she knew it. When the first Gen-3 synths began leaving the Institute, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. Despite the kidnappings, the possibility of malfunctioning, and the rampant paranoia about a person's true identity, Nick knew that there were synths like Glory and Magnolia who were living happy and full lives as synthetic but fully and completely flesh and blood humans.

"I would never betray Nora like that." Nick stood abruptly and stared the woman down. He spoke low and quick like he was talking to a perp who had gotten under his skin. "Yes, I withheld some information from Nora — about you, about the Institute, and about how this fucked up world works. Yes, I let her take the lead in getting us here when I could've led her to your front steps, and I'll regret that decision for the rest of my life. But don't you DARE accuse me of using Nora like a pawn. This isn't a game. This is her life and her son's life."

Desdemona took a step back from Nick. He was nearly panting. His electric yellow eyes seemed to crackle in rage. His expression was the same one that he had when he nearly broke down the door to HQ. Then everything fell into place and she smiled. It wasn't a smirk and it didn't hide biting sarcasm.

"You love her?" It was a question and not a statement because Desdemona figured that she was wrong.

Nick crossed the room and picked up his trench coat that Glory had draped over a broken metal chair. The fabric still smelled like Nora: heady and smoky. He pulled it on like a knight would pull on armor before a battle. He often joked that 'clothes made the man' but he needed something now more than ever to remind him of just the kind of man he was.

"I love her enough to not let her hang out to dry while you abuse her naivety and vulnerability." He spat. "If you're hard up for members, than consider me temporarily on board. There's no need to brief me on the details; the Switchboard underneath the Slocolm Joe wasn't exactly a state secret. I'll even waive my usual client fee since you saved Nora's life, but once we return, you will follow through with your end of the bargain."

"Welcome aboard, Detective." Desdemona replied hollowly.

* * *

Hancock groaned uncomfortably as he exited the Power Armor and ducked out from behind the yellow metal frame.

"What is that?" The fembot asked incredulously.

"It's a suit of Power Armor." Hancock responded carefully.

"You break my best Power Armor suit and you return with that?!" KL-E-O's laser eye glowed brighter and Hancock ducked out of her line of sight. He heard a burning sound rip through the air and then watched as a 10 mm pistol was blasted into a pile of ash.

"Well, to be fair it was a deathclaw that broke it." He replied quickly. KL-E-O turned to look at him and was charging up her laser for a second shot.

"You can't fool me like you do with your other women, Hancock." Her voice boomed threateningly. "This was not part of our deal."

"Now, now. I held up my end of the bargain here." Hancock replied. He was sidestepping away from the large window. If he needed to, he could dive to the left and avoid getting shot. He hoped that it wouldn't come to that. "Sunshine, the deal was that I replace your Power Armor. I did. We're even. There's no sense in getting your panties in a bunch."

In fact, it took him nearly three days of scouring the greater Boston area, bribing lowlifes, and threatening chemed-out raiders for a lead on KL-E-O's replacement Power Armor. Eventually his searching and bribery led him to a pile of shipping crates that were docked on the Charles River. He was told that the place was a hot bed of raider activity, but when he arrived, there was nobody to be found.

The suit in question was sitting inside an open storage container and it had the fusion core still installed in the back. The leg pieces were pristine, but the arms were mismatched and one had large pieces of rebar welded to the knuckles. A raider no doubt thought it would prove useful. The chest piece was riddled with bullet holes and the visor in the helmet was cracked. Hancock didn't know Power Armor types that well, but this suit looked like a piece of shit.

"Who am I going to sell it to, Mayor?" The assaultron's voice box crackled in rage.

"Anyone!" He exclaimed excitedly. It was the same kind of tone that he used to sell his bullshit. Others would've called it bluffing, but Hancock preferred the term guile. "I know a handful of traders who would kill — metaphorically speaking — for better protection. Most can't afford those spiffy new dreads them Brotherhood boys wear, but I'm sure someone would buy this. Hell, what about that Lucas Simms guy. He travels out west regularly and word has it that Super Mutants are closing in on some places out there."

KL-E-O's lasers powered down at the mention of Lucas. Hancock grinned. He knew that the fembot had a crush on the armor dealer. He was pretty sure the affections were one-sided, but there were enough freaks out in the Commonwealth that a little robophilia on Lucas's part wouldn't surprise him.

"Lucas, hm?" Her voice was sultry and smooth as velvet. "When's that tall drink of water expected to come through town?"

"He's expected through here no later than Saturday." He replied. KL-E-O turned to the suit again and appraised it. She ran her metallic-barreled hand along the leg pieces suggestively.

"I suppose it does have some character." She purred.

"And I'm sure that a beautiful woman such as yourself will have no problem convincing Lucas to see the same … ahem … assets."

"Oh, alright." KL-E-O sighed. "Get otta here, you flatterer."

Hancock left KL-E-O to appraise the suit some more and passed by Daisy's stall on his way back to his office.

Daisy shook her head in disbelief as he passed by. "You sure sweet-talked your way outta that one. I'd bet my entire year's cap stash that her laser was aiming right at your balls."

"Don't I know it, Daisy. Don't I know it." Hancock agreed quietly.

Back in his office, Hancock unholstered the combat shotgun that Nora had uncovered from the military bunker outside the Glowing Sea. She suggested that he keep it when they parted ways. She said she was more of a pistol-kind-of-gal and the shotgun seemed more his style anyway. It was a cherry of a gun. Hefty, deadly within sixty yards, and it had already saved his ass when a sickly yao guai had stumbled into the Boston looking for an easy meal.

It was during this brief walkabout that Hancock saw Nora again.

She wasn't alone though. Deacon — or at least Hancock assumed it was him — followed behind her with his small silenced pistol at his side.

He stood in a darkened alleyway as they both were heading towards Bunker Hill. Nora looked frustrated and she walked stiffly. Her left arm was gingerly tucked against her side while her right held her weapon. Deacon's mouth moved occasionally and was probably issuing instructions for Nora to follow. Although Hancock couldn't hear Deacon, he figured his advice was something along the lines of 'Watch out over there, there's a raider hideout.' or 'Shhh, we have to be on our guard. Super Mutants patrol this area.'

He tailed them to Bunker Hill and saw them cut east. Within a few hours or so, they'd reach Lexington. For a woman who had just crawled out of a vault, Nora seemed to handle herself well with Deacon. He felt confident that the spy would keep an eye out for his new partner, but he still couldn't explain the perverse need that drove him to tail the duo all the way to Lexington.

The ghoul adjusted the tricorn hat so it sat squarely atop his bald head.

"If that spy fails, I got yer back, sunshine. Don't you worry." Hancock muttered out into the gentle breeze.


	17. Trust

Chapter 17 - Trust

Nora was obedient. She followed Deacon's every order. From biting her tongue to keep from asking too many questions to playing the part of Railroad recruit when they met their informant on the top of a broken overpass, yet Nora realized two things about her new partner.

The first was that he was absolutely dedicated to the Railroad's goal of synth liberation.

During their walk, he filled her in on the Railroad's main mission. According to Deacon, around forty years ago, the Institute began churning out synths by the hundreds to act as slaves. Around ten years ago, synths began escaping with more regularity thanks to the help of an inside agent. They escaped synths were then relocated by Deacon and the other Railroad agents to safehouses. It was all very Harriet Tubman-esque and Nora finally understood what the lanterns signified. The lantern that sat on the steps of the Old North Church was their calling card to tell escaped synths that the place was safe.

Nora didn't have a problem with any of this, in fact it was a noble goal, but she did have a problem with Deacon. Namely, that the second thing she learned about Deacon was that he was a pathological liar.

She had to tease the real story about the Railroad's activities amid the countless bullshit that he spewed. The way he lied was as natural as breathing to him. He didn't think twice about it. Nora couldn't help but wonder if her ire actually came from jealously rather than virtue. She was always a terrible liar, but Deacon made lying seem fun and he was good at it.

"Alright, we're here." He stated and gestured to a large sewer culvert that was nearly as large as they were. "Security's gonna be tight inside. We didn't exactly have time to clean up the place, so please excuse the mess…and by mess, I mean dead bodies. You got enough ammo with you?"

Nora's gun was fully loaded and her bag had three boxes of 10mm ammo stashed in a side pocket. "Yeah, are we expecting a lot of company?"

Deacon shrugged. Nora noticed that it was one of his tells for when he was lying. "We left the turrets running and we mined the front door before we left, so step carefully and pay attention. Since we're coming in the back way, the turrets can all be deactivated before you get near them. So it should be a walk in the park."

"Ah, what the hell is this?" He growled.

Nora turned to see what drew Deacon's consternation and saw that Nick was jogging down the hillside towards them.

Nora's expression brightened upon seeing Nick and then remembered that she had a slight bone to pick with him. She noticed that he failed to meet her eyes. His face was drawn and tense like he was anticipating a fight.

He held his hands up when he approached as though to placate Deacon's irritation. "Desdemona sent me. I'm offering my services since you're pretty outmanned here."

"We're fine." Deacon replied briskly. "This is a walk in the park for the dynamic duo dream team extraordinaire."

She flushed at Deacon's compliment even though she couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic.

"Nora's still injured, Deacon. I insist coming with." Nick replied. "The place is gonna be crawling with Gen-1 and Gen-2 synths and you need someone who can take a few more hits from those Institute rifles than Nora can."

Nora bristled at Nick's concern. In part, she knew she was being unfair. Nick saved her life again. He never left her side and nearly injured himself while trying to break into the Railroad headquarters. On the other hand, she had a gut feeling that his omission about being involved in Railroad business was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of secrets he kept. She tried to push her concerns aside so she could focus on the task at hand, but the raw ache in her heart sat there like a heavy weight.

"I thought you said this was going to be a walk in the park." Nora cocked her eyebrow at Deacon.

"I lied. I do that. Get use to it." He replied abruptly and then turned to Nick. "Alright Valentine, I'll take lead, Nora will go after me, and you'll bring up the rear. Can you cover us?"

"Yes." Nick unholstered his pistol. Tom had freshly oiled and cleaned it while he was under and the piece looked nearly brand new.

"Good. Then let's move out before snipers start using us for target practice." Deacon's eyes hovered from place to place along the broken overpass as though he was searching for a sniper that was surely lying in wait.

Navigating the Switchboard tunnels took an excruciatingly long time. Once Deacon opened the locked security gate, the trio had to carefully pick their way past hidden mines and trip wires. The bodies of Railroad agents lined the narrow corridors, and Nora saw that each member wore different types of clothing according to their non-Railroad jobs. She saw several traders whose dust goggles sat cracked in the dirt nearby, and she saw a couple of farmers who were dressed in modest denim and rawhide coveralls, and she even saw a young woman who was dressed in a white doctor's coat. These agents were just everyday, normal people who threw down their lives to help further the Railroad's cause. Still, they were soldiers, Nora thought, and she respected the hell out of each one of them.

"Hold up here." Deacon whispered.

Nora peered over the balcony and saw at least seven Gen-2 synths rifling through desk drawers, searching through online terminals, and scrounging the area for useful material. Unlike the synths in Fort Hagen, these synths were well made, some were even armored in thick, durable white plastic, and most held rifles and pistols rather than crude shock batons.

"Nick. On my command, you need to attack them head on. Nora and I will split up and provide distractions so we can divide and conquer." Deacon commanded.

For a spy who didn't work with partners, he certainly had a good grasp of battle strategy, Nora thought.

"Nora should probably stick with me. She can provide cover fire while you go in as the distraction." Nick replied.

"No. That's not how this works, Valentine." Deacon replied and for that Nora was grateful. She knew she was being immature, but she didn't want Nick calling the shots. "If you don't like the plan, then you're free to head back the way you came."

"Here." He replied to Nora. He handed her a small box. "This is a Stealth Boy. You press that button at the top and a stealth shield will generate around you for sixty seconds."

Nora recognized the machine as the same one Kellogg used against her during their fight. "So, you're saying I'll be invisible?"

"No. An invisibility field will generate around you. You'll still be solid and you'll still be slightly visible. The stealth field creates a rippling effect in the atmosphere around you. This is to help with the distraction and nothing more. Don't activate yours until you see me activate mine, understand?"

Nora nodded and held the box in her left hand. Deacon took the lead and crept out onto the metal scaffolding.

"MY SENSORS ARE DETECTING INTRUDERS." One synth chirped out and suddenly all eyes were upon them.

Like a disturbed beehive, the rest of the synths stopped what they were doing and began firing towards Deacon. He ducked back into the hallway and locked eyes with Nora. She blinked once and watched him disappear. The discarded Stealth Boy box bounced once into the dirt.

Nora followed suit and felt a strange tingling sensation crackle over her skin. She looked down at her hands and saw that they were veiled by the forcefield. Deacon was right; she wasn't truly invisible. She could still see his silhouette as a slight ripple in the air as he went left along the metal scaffolding.

Nora took the right side and hid behind a heavy metal desk that had been overturned. She waited for Deacon to move first and got the signal when he pulled the pin on a grenade and dropped it into the synth cluster. Nora saw the grenade fall and ducked behind the desk. The explosion threw trash cans, broken telephones, and the assorted knickknacks and office supplies into the air. Through the metal walkway's grating, Nora saw that two synths were incapacitated and beeping frantically, but the rest began actively looking for the assailant.

"MY SENSORS ARE DETECTING A STEALTH FIELD —" One synth barked robotically.

Another said, "I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU ARE HIDING. IT IS BECAUSE YOU FEAR DEATH."

Nora pulled out her gun and began shooting the nearest synth in its armored torso. Meanwhile, Nick's pistol discharged rapidly as he crept towards the metal ramp that led down into the fray.

Superheated red lasers flew past Nora's head. The desk she was hiding behind had scorch marks from a laser rifle's burns, but so far the method of shooting frantically for a couple of seconds and then taking cover was working.

Two synths dropped quickly to Deacon's gun. Although it was small, it packed a wallop and barely made any noise.

Nora tried to remember the small amount of training that Codsworth had taught her. His voice echoed in her head. I'm no Mr. Gutsy, mum. But I do know how to survive. She placed the nearest synth's head in between her glowing iron sights. She controlled her breathing, just like she was shooting tin cans on a fence post back in Sanctuary; she steadily exhaled and gently squeezed the trigger.

Time seemed to slow all around her as she focused in on her target. The synth's head reeled back when the bullet met its mark. Its cold, yellow eyes immediately fell dark and the synth fell over backwards from the bullet's force.

Nora did the same thing again. This time her target was a great, hulking synth who wore thick plastic armor and held a modified laser rifle. His cold eyes met hers and Nora took another shot. Again, the shot met its mark but it embedded itself into the synth's shoulder. Part of his plastic armor had cracked, but it didn't seem to care. He fired at Nora and she felt an excruciating burn graze her right cheek. She ducked behind the desk again and fell flat onto her back. It felt as though someone had thrown a hot branding iron at her face. Her fingertips gently touched the wound and felt that her skin was blistered in a line that went beneath her eye and across her nose.

"Nora!" Nick yelled. She bit her lip to quell the whimpering.

"I—I'm fine, Nick. Just kill those bastards." The rage in her voice must've convinced him because she could hear his gun fire off some more rounds while Deacon's silenced pistol stealthily took out the rest.

After a minute, the smoke cleared just enough for Nora to see the synth's sparking body parts lying inert and strewn about. The linoleum was stained a dark, inky black and Nora tried to ignore the nausea that bubbled in her stomach.

She groaned and sat up. Deacon's gloved hand reached out for her through the fog and she gratefully took it.

"You okay there, Vaultie?" He asked as he helped her up.

"I'm fine." Nora replied. The burn was still tender and raw, but it had missed her eye and for that she was grateful.

"That was some pretty damn good shooting." Deacon commented. He placed a guiding hand on Nora's back and led her through the rubble. "I gotta say, I didn't think you had it in you."

She laughed. Partly because she knew Deacon was right. This was the first fight were she didn't need to be saved, nor did she accidentally cause massive destruction or mayhem. Maybe she was cut out for the wasteland life after all, she thought.

"I guess I surprised myself, too." She commented.

Nora and Deacon crept slowly through the large open room being careful to not slip on the gore that they had created. When they reached Nick, his hand gently cupped Nora's cheek but he said nothing. He didn't have to. Nora could see the fear and the guilt in his eyes.

"I'm alright Nick." Nora commented lightly.

"I know you are, doll." He murmured softly.

Deacon cocked his eyebrow at the duo and suddenly felt like a voyeur. He cleared his throat and gestured to an office door. "The prototype is this way. We shouldn't encounter any more synths while inside, but we still need to be on our guard on our way out."

Nora broke away from Nick's touch, although she could still feel his eyes on her back, and followed Deacon through the office door.

In the large office, there was a bank vault that took up the entire far wall and it was opened to reveal another room that was also ransacked.

"Dammit!" Deacon cursed and rushed into the room. "It's gone. Carrington's prototype…those Institute bastards took it!"

A man's body was slumped over beneath overturned shelving and Deacon knelt down next to the man.

"Oh, Tommy, Shit. The poor bastard died in vain." Deacon mourned in a low voice.

"What exactly was Carrington's prototype?" Nora asked.

Deacon sighed like a man who was defeated. "It was a modified Stealth Boy. The ones we used can only cloak one person at a time and it only lasts for about sixty seconds. Back when this was our base of operations, Carrington was working on a modified Stealth Boy that could cloak groups of people indefinitely. Shortly before the Switchboard was compromised, Carrington developed a workable prototype that had yet to be tested in the field. I mean, think about all of the good we could do if we could move groups of escaped synths at once! But now its gone."

He shook his head and then steeled his resolve. "Look, what's done is done. Let's blow this popsicle stand and give the report to Des. Although it's bad news, I'll still vouch for you with the Railroad. There's an elevator around the corner, but I'll take the lead. We mined the area pretty heavily when we left. Be ready for a fight once we reach topside.

Deacon, Nora, and Nick picked their way through the mined hallway and crowded into a small elevator. The interior was dark, but thankfully the ride was short.

The elevator dinged and then the doors slid opened. Deacon went out first and pushed his way past cardboard boxes of old coffee, paper products, and toiletries. He clambered up the wooden stairs and then crept around the corner into the diner. Nora followed but then she heard the steady beeping of a land mine and threw herself back into the elevator. The flames from the explosion just missed Nora's legs but the heat it generated was oppressive.

The land mine alerted the other synths to their presence and their muffled, robotic voices could be heard in the diner above them. Instinctively, Nora scrambled to her feet and unholstered her gun.

"Nora, stay here." Nick ordered. "Deacon and I can handle it."

"Like hell I am." She shot back angrily. She pushed past Nick and trudged through charred napkins and the stale coffee grounds. She jogged up the stairs and aimed her gun at the first synth that she saw. These models were mostly ill-kept Gen-1s and went down easily. Deacon had moved to the parking lot where more synths seemed to be appearing out of thin air. She looked behind her and saw that Nick was dutifully providing her some cover as they fought their way outside.

Nora was feeling confident in her shooting abilities until she heard the soft click of the gun's empty chamber.

"Shit," She cursed quietly. She fished around in her bag for another ammo cartridge but found nothing.

She holstered her weapon and went to grab a laser pistol from a fallen synth when a cold, hard hand wrapped around her throat. A synth patroller lifted her up against the wooden wall. His thin, metallic skeletal fingers clenched around her throat like a vice. She tasted blood in her mouth and felt her heart pound in her brain. Another land mine explosion to her right created a gust of hot air that licked her arms and face. The synth's cold, emotionless eyes bore into Nora's and she could feel the darkness closing in around her.

Another loud bang was heard and Nora felt her body drop to the ground. Her airway was free and she gasped greedily for air. Her head pounded against the blood rush and she tasted her blood as it gushed from her nose.

"You alright there, sunshine?" A low, gravel-like voice asked. His mottled hand grasped her forearm and helped her up from her knees. Nora swayed on the spot and wondered if she was hallucinating.

"Hancock? How?" She croaked.

He gave her a rakish grin. "Storytime will be a little later, sunshine. First we gotta finish off these synth bastards and get to cover."

Hancock's combat shotgun cut through the mechanized soldiers in one or two shots. Nora swayed again and saw that Nick was sitting against a tree holding his stomach. Two dead synths sparked in the grass at his feet.

Meanwhile, Deacon's little pistol was firing rapidly as the last synth patroller advanced on him. The bullets pinged uselessly off the synth's armor. Nora acted fast and grabbed a laser pistol off of a fallen synth and began shooting at the synth's back. The red laser beams cut through the patroller's armor like hot butter. The patroller fell to his knees and then slumped over on his side.

When the last synth fell to Hancock's shotgun blast, Nora made her way over to Nick.

"You okay?" She asked. Her voice was still hoarse and the back of her hand was smeared with blood from trying to staunch her bloody nose.

Nick looked at her darkly. Thinly veiled anger briefly flashed behind his eyes but then he grimaced. "I'll live. It's just another slug I'll have to dig out when I get back to the agency."

Nora collapsed onto the ground next to Nick and peeled the messenger bag's strap from her shoulder. She dug around for the painkillers that Carrington left her and pulled out a small unmarked bottle. The burn on her face throbbed and the healing wound in her side ached.

Hancock whistled appreciatively, "Where did you get Vicodin, sunshine? That's some good Pre-War shit!"

She rolled her eyes and swallowed one of the pills dry. There were two left in the small bottle and she figured they'd be enough to get her through the night and then back to Diamond City.

"I have some stimpacks in my bag if you need them, Nick." Nora replied. He looked to be in bad shape. His breathing was labored and then she saw the black coolant stain on the front of his white dress shirt.

"Shit," Nora cursed and crawled closer to Nick. She went to pull his arm away from the wound to assess the damage, but he pulled away from her forcefully.

"Leave me alone. I'm fine. I'll survive." He bit out.

"But you're bleeding —"

"I said I'm fine, doll" His tone indicated that the case was closed, yet Nora reeled back like she had been slapped.

Hancock shifted uneasily as Nora met his eyes. He saw the hurt, frustration, and anger that sat behind her dark eyelashes. He bit his tongue and announced that he was going to see if Deacon needed help finishing up the reconnaissance. Nora knew that Hancock was trying to be tactful by giving them a moment of peace.

She sighed and pulled herself in front of Nick and settled between his splayed legs.

"Let's talk." She stated firmly.

"I have nothing to say that I wont end up regretting in the morning." Nick replied cooly.

"You don't need to talk, in fact it's probably better that you don't." Nora began firmly. This wasn't the most opportune time to clear the air between them, but Nora knew she couldn't walk back to Diamond City with this monkey on her back. "I have two things that I want to say to you. After I'm done, you can do whatever you think is best, but for God sakes just listen first."

Nora's heart was beating fiercely in her chest. Part of it was the residual adrenaline from the two firefights, but another part was Nora's pain coming to the forefront.

"Point number one." She announced and ticked it off with her finger. "You hurt me, Nick Valentine. It doesn't matter whether you meant to or not, but you still hurt me."

Nick sighed, "I didn't mean to—"

"— Shhhhhhh." She frowned. "Not until I'm done talking."

Nora cleared her throat and continued, "Lying by omission is still lying. Not telling me about your previous knowledge about the Railroad or that they once approached you to join is lying to me. You knew how to get to their headquarters, and yet you let me foolishly navigate past a psychopath's house of horrors! I don't claim to know much about this world, but how can I rely on you as my partner if you don't fill me in on what I'm missing? How can I trust you when now I have to second guess whether everything you told me about the Institute, about those Brotherhood of Steel types, and about where Shaun might be is true?"

She could see that Nick wanted to rise to his own defense but managed restrain himself.

"Point number two." Nora stated. Her voice was husky and she tried to clear the lump from her throat. "You and I are a team. I need your support, but I don't need your protection. Once Desdemona and the rest of the Railroad helps us built that relay, I need you to support whatever decisions I need to do — even if you don't agree with them or approve of them — otherwise this," she gestured between the both of them, "can't work."

Nick looked afraid and his voice was low, "You don't know what you're walking into Nora."

"That's why you're going to tell me. Tomorrow, you and I will sit down, and you'll tell me everything that you remember about the Institute."

"I told you, doll. I don't remember much" Nick replied.

"You'll find that I don't believe you, Nick." Nora replied dryly. "But if that is indeed the case, I also have other escaped Institute synths who I can ask. Deacon's already given me a list of names."

Nick grabbed Nora's hand gently, almost pleadingly, "Knowing too much, rather than too little, about the Institute will hurt you. They closely guard their secrets. People have disappeared for knowing far. Knowing too much could mean that you've become a security risk. I never hid crucial information to hurt you, doll. Please believe me."

"I do, Nick. But none of that changes what I have to do. I have to find my son."

Deacon cleared his throat loudly and walked towards them with Hancock close behind.

"Are we ready to head out? I want to get going before it gets too dark. We're easy targets just sitting out here like this."

Nora sighed tiredly, "I need to rest somewhere first. Even if I'm sleeping in some dilapidated building, I know it will be better than trudging all the way back to Diamond City after being stabbed and now shot. You guys can go on without me."

"Des needs you back as soon as possible. Especially now that our mission has been compromised." Deacon interrupted.

"Desdemona can wait 24 hours." Nora stated firmly. "I'll meet you both back at HQ tomorrow. I promise."

Deacon looked uneasy, but Nick looked hurt. He noticed that the 'you both' didn't include Hancock.

But as though to add insult to injury, he asked anyway. "So, you're gonna stay out here all by yourself?"

"Hancock's here." Nora pointed out. The ghoul did a poor job at neutralizing the smug look on his face "I'll be fine. Seriously. Don't worry."

Nick wanted to reply that he couldn't do anything else but worry now that Nora was choosing to spend a night in the wasteland with Hancock. Yet, he immediately admonished himself. That was jealousy talking. He trusted Nora. Hell, he owed Nora that after breaking her trust, but he still couldn't bring himself to fully trust Hancock now that their encounter in The Third rail made it clear that the ghoul was after his woman.

"Don't worry, Nicky. I'll make sure she gets home to you safely." Hancock replied with a grin.

Nick glowered but didn't say anything. He pulled out his cigarette pack and lit one before giving Nora one final, doleful look.

"Stay outta trouble, okay doll?" He replied. "I'll meet you outside the Railroad HQ this time tomorrow, and we'll talk."

Nora nodded. "It's a date."

Deacon and Nick made their way southeast towards Lexington while Nora followed Hancock less than a mile to the north. Nora forced herself to not look back. Nick would be fine without her for a day, she told herself.

"I got a little place nearby that you can rest at." He replied. He picked up her messenger bag and slung it across his shoulders. "It ain't much, but it's enough that we can patch up your wounds and kick back with a drink or two."

They stopped outside of the Starlight Drive In theater so Hancock could unholster his gun. "You gotta always be on your guard, sunshine. Last time I was here, there were some pretty gnarly mole rats that were looking for an easy meal."

Thankfully they made it across the parking lot without attracting any attention. Hancock pulled out a small key from his pocket and unlocked the door that led behind the giant movie screen.

"Welcome to my humble abode." Hancock gestured with gravitas at the small room. Black and white linoleum tiles created a checkered pattern across the floor. There were a couple of moth-eaten rugs that created a walkway from the door to the far end of the rectangular room.

The room was furnished with a small bed, a lumpy red couch, and an old refrigerator that sat inoperable next to several milk crates full of canned goods, pre-packaged foods, purified water, and assorted chems.

"Why do you have this place?" Nora asked. They were far from Goodneighbor, and Nora couldn't fathom what Hancock would be doing so far from his people."

"I keep it in case someone is in a bad situation and needs a place that ain't within the city limits to lie low. Also, I sometimes stop by when I'm making my rounds with the caravans that rotate through the settlements. Or, sometimes I just come here and get really fucking high."

Hancock chuckled at Nora's frown.

"And your … constituents are okay with you taking a sabbatical whenever you want?" Nora asked.

"Sure. Most of the town looks out for one another, and Fahrenheit and the Neighborhood Watch are around to act as security if things get a little too rough. Besides, nobody in power should stay in power for long. Getting out of Goodneighbor allows me to clear my head and get my ahold of what's really important in life, ya feel me?"

"So, is that what you're doing then?" It seemed awfully suspect that Hancock just happened by her, Deacon, and Nick when they were in the middle of trouble. "You were just outside a Slocum Joe's clearing your head?"

Hancock's smirk got wider. "I ain't tryin' to hide nothing, sister. I saw you and Deacon high tailing it through Bunker Hill. You looked injured, Deacon looked … well like a man on a mission, and I figured that you needed someone to watch your back."

Nora peered into the ghoul's onyx eyes. "So you left Goodneighbor with the express purpose of tailing me?"

"Well, I can't say you were the main motivation. I was already out and about town when I saw you both. But my priorities changed quickly when I saw you."

"What do you mean by 'priorities'?"

Now Hancock looked a little ashamed, but he answered Nora's question anyway. "Look. I know that you and Nicky are involved. Despite what Nicky things, I don't want to hurt him. But that doesn't stop me from thinking less-than-pure thoughts about you. Does that bother you?"

Nora didn't answer. In fact, she didn't know how to answer. She couldn't deny that there was something alluring about Hancock, but she knew that pursuing any semblance of a relationship with him would crush Nick. A love triangle like this was something she read about in silly teen romance novels; it was stupid for her to try and live one in real life.

"Look, just so you don't think there's anything improper going on here, you can take the bed, and I'll take the couch." Hancock said as he closed the door behind them.

The room had no windows, but Hancock began lighting candles that sat along the floor and the large metal shelving. Eventually the room was awash in soft candlelight that flickered sporadically as it casted shadows along the cracked and peeling walls.

Nora dumped her bag in the corner and saw that Hancock was rummaging through a box.

"Take a seat on the couch. That laser burn needs to be healed before it gets infected." He replied.

Hancock squeezed behind the metal shelves. Now that the door was closed, Nora saw that a chemistry station was set up in the corner. He shrugged his jacket off and draped it over the back of a wooden chair and then rolled up his sleeves to the elbows. He began setting up a variety of beakers, utensils, and a small pestle and mortar.

"There's some food on the bottom shelf if you're hungry. There's nothing warm … or cold, unfortunately, but I think we got some canned beans, sugar bombs, and some of those snack cake things left." He replied.

Nora grimaced at the idea of eating more Fancy Lad Snack Cakes. Between Piper and Vadim, Nora was already sick of the processed snack food, and went with the can of beans instead. The gelatinous brown sugar glaze tasted gritty in her mouth, but she was hungry enough to eat the entire can and then half of another.

"Alright sunshine, I need you to turn towards me real quick." Hancock replied.

Nora obeyed and watched as he placed a mortar full of white paste next to her. It smelled medicinal and bitter and Hancock chuckled when she wrinkled her nose.

"Look, I know this shit ain't the best smelling thing in the world, but it'll take care of that burn easily. Stims ain't meant for topical treatments — meaning you shouldn't just go stabbing them in your face all willy nilly — but the medicine in the stims coupled with my own secret recipe should work as an ointment of sorts."

Hancock pulled up the wooden chair next to Nora and leaned close to her face. He dipped his thumb into the white paste and began to gently smooth it along the raised and blistered skin. She sighed as a tingling sensation replaced the burning, sunburn-like heat. She also leaned into his touch and closed her eyes. His thumb was rough and waxy, but its ridges and bumps helped soothe away the pain.

Her lips parted and a thrill ran down her spine. Hancock's ministrations were gentle but they caused her heart to race. She forced herself to open her eyes but immediately regretted that decision when deep black, soulful eyes bore into hers. His breathing was steady, but on his every exhale Nora could smell him. He smelled of his preferred brand of tobacco, a sweet earthy smell that Nora couldn't identify, and the deep musk of a man.

His face was a foot away from hers and she felt compelled to kiss him. His lips, scarred and mottled like the rest of his body, enticed her in like a moth to a flame. She wanted to weigh the differences in her mind — Nick's smooth, synthetic skin to Hancock's rough, radiation scarred one. She had this perverse premonition that Hancock would not only consent, but that he'd carry her away down a path that she knew she'd regret going down come the morning.

"Alright, all done." he replied. His voice was huskier than usual.

Nora's cheek felt tingly and there was a pleasant chill that crept across her skin. It was as though he had applied menthol to the burn.

"What is this stuff. My face is all tingly." She wrinkled her nose and moved her jaw around.

"Like I said," Hancock grinned as he wiped his hand off on a rag, "It's a secret recipe. It's part of a stimpack, a dab of Med-X, and a splash of something special that I'll take with me to my grave."

"Where did you learn how to make this?" Nora asked. She could definitely see the benefit of learning a little first aid, especially with how often she managed to get shot at.

Hancock shrugged and plopped down on the couch next to Nora. "I've always had a talent with chems — taking them and making them; hell, half the shit that Solomon slings over in Diamond City comes from my own recipes."

"And you're proud about that?" Nora replied. Her tone wasn't judgmental this time; she was trying to understand how the world's attitude about drugs and chems could change so drastically after 200 years.

"Well, yeah. I guess I am." Hancock remarked. "Now don't get me wrong, sunshine. I have my limits. I don't sell to kids, and I'll fuck up anyone who does. I also don't sell to people already too high to know their own name. I figure that by then, they're feelin' no pain and don't need my services anymore."

"A drug dealer with a heart of gold. Color me surprised." Nora replied wryly.

"Hey, I don't hear you complainin'." Hancock grinned. His hand gently brushed the stray hair away from Nora's burned cheek. "Would you be angry if I told you that my secret ingredient ain't exactly doctor approved?"

"Considering that my face feels like someone rubbed Icy Hot on it, I'm not exactly surprised."

Hancock cocked his eyebrow at the Pre-War reference. "I hope that's a good thing."

"Yes, it's a good thing." Nora replied and rested her head back against the couch cushion. Between the Vicodin, the food, and the excitement from today, Nora could already feel sleep closing in around her.

"Hey, sunshine."

"Hmm." Nora murmured sleepily.

The words that Hancock wanted to say died on his lips. He didn't have the courage to say them aloud.

As Nora slept, Hancock took a couple hits of Jet and watched over her. The words that he wanted to say were words that he said often enough to his dates, one night stands, and fuck buddies. But with them, those words had no meaning. They were empty and often said under duress while entangled in passion while the room stank of sex.

But sitting here, fully clothed and semi-sober, Hancock realized that he could easily say the words aloud, and he knew they'd be true. What he didn't know was whether Nora could ever say them back to him.

"I think I love you, sunshine." he murmured into her ear as he carried her body and placed her gently on the bed.


	18. Make You Feel My Love

**A.N. This was simultaneously my most favorite and least favorite chapter to write. Some brief Hancock/Nora romance and pining, some not-so-brief angst, lots of technological bullshittery, and some Nick/Nora smut ahead (hard M rating). We're starting to go off the rails a bit with the cannon storyline as well.**

 **As we have two chapters left, I'd like to draw your attention to the fact that this story will be part of a series. I thought it would be easier to digest for readers if I broke it into a sequel, especially since the tone's gonna take of a darker turn — both in tone and in content.**

 **Thank you to everyone who's been reading. Favorites, alerts, and comments are awesome, but I also know there's a lot of lurkers out there. Even if you're one of the silent ones, I appreciate your interest nonetheless.**

Chapter 18: Make You Feel My Love

Nora awoke with a jolt. The room was unbearably dark; the candles had long since burned out into a puddle of dried wax.

She groped around the bed for her PipBoy and found it next to her messenger bag. She flicked the machine on and winced against the harsh iridescent green light. The internal clock read that it was just past four in the morning.

Hancock's soft snoring could be heard from the couch nearby. He was sprawled out on the sofa still holding a small canister of Jet. A tin of mentats sat opened on the wooden chair next to an ashtray that held a long spent cigarette.

Nora's burn was raw and her side still ached. She gingerly lifted up the flannel shirt that Glory had given her and saw that the stab wound was significantly less inflamed, but it was still tender to the touch. So, she picked up the mortar from the chemistry station and applied more white paste to her burn. Having no mirror, Nora was careful in where she applied the ointment. She also rubbed some on the knife wound for good measure.

Going back to sleep was futile. After nearly ten hours of uninterrupted rest, Nora felt refreshed and recharged. So she searched through Hancock's coat for his cigarettes and a lighter. Nora pulled on her brown leather jacket, grabbed her messenger bag, and quietly opened the door. She left it open just a crack in case she needed a quick getaway, and lounged against the peeling cinema screen that was around the corner.

Morning was just starting to peak through the dense clouds that had settled over them during the night. Fog was rolling off the land like tendrils of smoke while Nora sat there and took in the changed world around her. Two radstags and a small fawn gingerly picked their way across the parking lot of abandoned and rusted cars. They grazed on brown grass near the hillside and perked their up dual heads to watch a black crow taking flight or at a bloatfly buzzing from one tree to another. Despite being ravaged by radiation and bombs, this new world had a strange sort of charm. Life, although changed and mutated, was resilient Nora noted.

After her second cigarette, Nora's thoughts turned back to Shaun and Nate. The pain of thinking about Nate was beginning to dull but she knew that it would never fully die. Still, there was more of a melancholy wisp (rather than outright despondency) that tainted her thoughts. She daydreamed about what could've been if the entire world hadn't collapsed in on itself.

Nora and Nate had so many plans for Shaun. Nora wanted to see him become a doctor or a lawyer. She wanted her son to help others and be to selfless. Maybe he'd follow after his mother and pursue a law degree as well. She even imagined that they'd start their own law office: _Pendleton & Son: Attorneys at Law_.

Nate, on the other hand, wanted his son to pitch for the Boston Red Sox or to play right tackle for the New England Patriots. Nate played baseball in high school and never missed a Sunday night football game with his dad. In fact, sports and fishing were the only things that Nate and his father could talk about without coming to blows with each other.

He also spoke earnestly about taking Shaun fishing over at Lake Quannapowitt when he was old enough. It was a dream that Nate's father encouraged by buying Shaun a small child's fishing pole and a tiny blue tackle box. Nora remembered rolling her eyes at her father-in-law's gift and reminded the man that it would be a few years before Shaun would be old enough to pull in a bluegill, let alone anything larger.

A squeak of the door broke Nora's thoughts and she brushed away the tears that leaked from her eyes. Hancock's heavy footsteps rounded the corner and she heard the ground crunch as he sat on the ground next to her.

"Arn't you all bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning." He commented. "I went to grab a smoke and found out that a thief had visited in the night."

Nora grinned sheepishly and slid his pack and lighter back to him. "I'll buy you another pack when we get back to town."

"Nah don't worry about it, sister." Hancock chuckled and fished two from his pack, lit both, and handed her one. "I'm always willing to enable someone's vices if it makes them happy. Except, you don't look all that happy."

Hancock noted the dried tears on her cheeks and the puffy red eyes that weren't from the acrid cigarette smoke. "Yeh wanna talk about it?"

Nora's immediate reaction was to put the wall up and refuse like she had when they spent the night in the old military bunker, but instead she drew her legs up to her chest and rested her head against the ghoul's shoulder. The pain she felt was too much to keep bottled up inside. So, she told him about Nate and Shaun and about living in Sanctuary Hills. She told him about the gossipy neighbors, the anti-military sentiment that abounded ever since America annexed Canada before the Sino-American War, and the constant anxiety that everyone felt as the world teetered on destruction. She talked with the ghoul until dawn had melded into morning and until the entire pack of cigarettes had been consumed and extinguished in the dirt near their feet.

After she finished, Hancock's mottled hand grazed the back of hers. She turned her hand over in his so their palms met. His thumb caressed her skin in a similar fashion that he had caressed her burned cheek the night before. His rough skin tickled her palm and her pulse raced.

"You've lived a helluva life, sunshine." Hancock commented. "I need to connect you with Daisy. You both could shoot the shit for hours. She's Pre-War like you, but she went ghoul after the bombs fell.

"I think I'd like that." Nora replied with a smile. Hancock was pleased that she was smiling because of him.

"I guess being one of the few Pre-War survivors is awfully lonely sometimes. I've been unfrozen for more than half a year now and I haven't met anyone else who truly knew what life was like before the bombs."

"Sure," Hancock agreed. "Yeh know, if Daisy's to be believed, life after the bombs was a shit show. It was far harder to survive back then that it is now. Believe it or now, things have calmed down and have stabilized a bit."

Nora lifted Hancock's hand onto her knee and examined the mottled skin with interest. "And what about you? You're not Pre-War and you're a ghoul. Did you pass out high near a toxic radiation dump on accident?"

Hancock's eyes held a rare sadness in them, and Nora immediately regretted asking the question.

"You remember when I told you about my brother when we were outside Virgil's cave?"

"Yes."

"Well, there's more to that story." Hancock replied. "See, after I was thrown out of Diamond City, I couldn't stand to look at myself. I stood by and did nothing as the Diamond City guards threw out, beat up, and even murdered the ghouls that had _infiltrated_ their precious Great Green Jewel. Those that did make it out set up wherever they could. I brought them food when I could find some; I even had the balls to ask their forgiveness and one of them punched me in the fuckin' jaw. After that, I roamed Boston aimlessly. I was high, destitute, and depressed. I started slumming it in Goodneighbor for a while. I had been sneaking off to get chems when I lived back in DC, so I knew the safe routes. Little did I know that the town would save my life."

"Goodneighbor saved your life?" Nora asked in disbelief.

"Fuck yeah it did." He replied with a smirk before continuing.

"I mean, it took a while. I'm can be pretty thick headed, but once I assumed the mantle of Mayor I realized that I needed to do one final thing. I'm not claiming to be a saint — Nicky's probably said enough about my past to convince you of that — but I do have a conscience. The siege of Goodneighbor wasn't exactly a diplomatic solution, ya feel me? And no matter how much I whipped that town into shape, I still couldn't look at my face in the mirror anymore. I had to change."

Nora turned to look at Hancock. His brows furrowed and his thin lips pursed as he reflected on the events that led him to become a ghoul.

Nora's hand cupped his cheek gently. "You did this to yourself?"

His black eyes bore into hers and he allowed himself to lean into her touch. Then he gently removed her hand and placed it back into his large palm.

"I knew what the drug was gonna do before I took it. It felt it only right. The man that looked back at me was guilty of crimes that he had yet to pay for, and I spent a good portion of my life running, but it was time to face the music. If I took this drug, I wouldn't have to look at that man anymore. I'd finally be free. What I didn't realize was that I was just running from something else. Regret ain't something that disappears after a little radiation therapy."

"Was it worth it?" Nora asked.

"The high? Totally," He chuckled. "but it was painful, and fuckin' freaky at times. I also lost a lot of friends afterwards, but I gained far more in the process."

Nora sighed. The sun was at their backs, but fluffy white clouds dotted the robin's egg blue sky. She knew that they should get going, but a part of her wanted to just sit against the peeling movie screen indefinitely. If it wasn't for Shaun, running away from her own problems would seem an attractive proposition.

"Can I kiss you Nora?" Hancock asked in a low voice breaking their comfortable silence.

Nora met the ghoul's eyes and he saw the hesitation, but there was no rejection there, only uncertainty.

"I don't know." She whispered.

"Is it because of Nicky?" Hancock asked.

Nora thought about it and shook her head. "No, it's not. But I wont hide this from him if he asks."

"Then what's wrong, sunshine?"

"I'm afraid that I might like it too much." Her embarrassed flush spread further across her face like a sunburn.

Hancock chuckled and turned to fully look at Nora. His dark eyes were captivating and he brought his face closer to her.

"I've never heard any complaints in the past." He grinned and brushed the stray hair from her face.

Nora took in shuddering breath. She was standing at the gates of oblivion; she knew she couldn't take this back.

"Alright." She consented.

Hancock smiled wide. It wasn't lecherous and it didn't hide ulterior motives. It was the smile of a man who was thrilled beyond belief. "You just tell me if it's too much, okay?"

His lips gently pressed against hers. She could taste the residual tobacco from the cigarettes and felt how his textured skin caressed her lips intoxicatingly. Nora cautiously parted her lips and felt Hancock's tongue meet hers. His kiss tasted like artificial berries, it wasn't unpleasant just different, and she felt his hand glide through her dark hair.

She moaned at the contact and deepened the kiss. She rose up onto her knees so she could press into the ghoul in her lust-filled daze. A small voice in the back of her mind began telling her that she should stop, that she had done more than enough and that anything further would would be a mistake. That voice then screamed when Hancock's hand began traveling beneath her shirt sending electric shocks along her bare stomach.

"We should stop." She panted after breaking away from his kiss. Her hand covered his and she gently removed it from beneath her shirt and placed it back on his lap.

She closed her eyes as another wave of arousal flushed through her body when she saw that Hancock had been just as affected by the kiss. He grinned but didn't bother to hide the his arousal that was tenting his pants.

"How was that, sunshine? Was it everything you thought it would be?" He asked smugly. His voice was still husky from desire.

Nora rolled her eyes, rose to her feet, and brushed the dirt from he pants. "It was certainly unique, but it was good." She winced at her blasé appraisal and then added, "Fuck it. It was great. You're a good kisser."

"You ain't too bad yourself, sister." Hancock chuckled and rose to his feet. His red coat hung low enough that it obscured the evidence of his erection. Nora was thankful. Walking all the way back to Boston with that distracting both of them would've been hell.

"Now I'm jealous as hell that Nicky gets to experience a kiss like yours."

Nora winced at Nick's name.

"Hey, hey sunshine." Hancock said quickly, almost consolingly. "We don't have to tell him. I wont say shit if you wont."

"I have to, Hancock." She replied. "I don't want to keep secrets from him."

Hancock was shocked but also impressed. He spent his fair share of nights with attached women, and unless there were prying eyes in whatever den of dissolute that he decided to hole up in, the woman that he was with was usually very tight-lipped about her liaisons with a ghoul.

He sighed and shook his head in disbelief. "Yer a better person than I, sunshine."

"Don't praise me yet." Nora grumbled. "He may punch you for what we did."

Hancock snorted. "I doubt it. Nicky's not the type to fly into a rage. He'll seethe about it for a while but he'll get over it."

Nora looked skeptically at the ghoul but swung the messenger bag over her shoulder. The duo set out towards the Old North Church as the sun finally crested the top of the dilapidated cinema. The weather was mild, but Nora couldn't enjoy it. Her stomach was doing somersaults in on itself as she thought about seeing Nick again.

Guilt wasn't an expression that looked good on Nora.

* * *

As promised, Nora walked up to the front steps of the Old North Church. The sun sat low enough in the sky to cast a golden shimmer across the water. Hancock gave her hand a gentle, farewell squeeze when he parted. A pair of sharp, golden eyes partially veiled by a low fedora watched as Hancock walked down a back alley and out of sight.

Nora climbed up the steps and sat next to Nick who was lounging next to a giant bronze statue of a man on horseback. She gently caressed his synthetic hand with hers. He didn't pull away, but his hand remained slack.

"You're looking better. Healthier, I mean." Nick said cautiously. His metal hand held a lit cigarette and gave the ash on the tip a sharp flick before inhaling again.

"Thanks. I feel better." Nora replied. "D'you mind if I bum one?"

Nick sat his cigarette on the concrete steps and fished the crumbled pack out of his pocket. He handed one to Nora and helped her light it.

Nora took a couple of puffs and exhaled the smoke out in a steady stream. She realized that she had smoked more today than she had in the entire year after Shaun was born.

"How's your wound?" Nora commented.

"It's fine." Nick responded. The cigarette was back between his metal fingers. "Tom fixed me up before I walked back to Diamond City. Y'know, to check in with Ellie and help out a bit with the office work. I just made it back an hour ago. No trouble on the road, I hope."

"No. We made good time. Aside for a swarm of bloatflies that were hanging out near the waterfront, we didn't see anyone."

Nora winced and sighed. Had their relationship really regressed to exchanging pleasantries over cigarettes?

"Nick," Nora began. "Are we okay? You and I, I mean."

Nick frowned. He closed his eyes and sighed. "That depends, doll. Did you sleep with him?"

"What?! Hancock?"

"Did you sleep with him?" Nick's voice crackled. He hated that jealousy was the first emotion to rear its ugly head. He also hated that part of him hoped that they did. If they did, at least Nora could be fully satisfied with a completely intact, albeit ghoulified, man.

Nora turned to Nick and pulled both of his hands into hers. She tilted her head down to peak beneath his fedora and looked him in the eyes. "No Nick, we didn't."

He swallowed thickly in disbelief. "So nothing happened at all?"

Nora broke her eye contact and Nick felt his heart sink.

"I kinda figured." He huffed.

"No! Listen, Nick. He kissed me this morning, and I kissed him back. But I broke it off before it went too far." Her confession came out in a rush, and Nick tried to pull away from her, but she held firmly onto his hands.

"Nick, I'm not going to tell you that it meant nothing because that would be a lie." Nora continued, her voice breaking with emotion. "You have every right to be upset with me. I'm not asking for your forgiveness, just your understanding. I hope the fact that I'm sitting before you now is proof that I am not leaving you for him. I'm still yours, if you'll have me."

Nick didn't say anything for a long time. Nora had already finished her cigarette and watched as the sun dipped below the water.

"Look, these past few days have been hell — for both of us — but I can't make any excuses. I fucked up."

"I need some time to think about things, doll." Nick finally admitted. "Why don't you go in and talk to Desdemona. She wants to brief you on your next mission. Apparently Tom has made a breakthrough in Virgil's notes on how to build the relay."

Nora nodded and swallowed the lump that welled up in her throat. She wasn't mad at Nick. He had every right to be upset about the kiss. But she didn't regret kissing Hancock, only that doing so brought Nick so much pain.

"I'm sorry that I hurt you." She replied quietly and rose to her feet.

She pushed the heavy oak door open and walked into the dark church. The door slammed closed as Nick lit another cigarette and stared out into the cool twilight evening.

* * *

"Alright, so hold on to your hats because this information is gonna throw you for a loop." Tom said excitedly. "You ready? You holdin' on to them?"

"Get on with it, Tom." Desdemona replied irritably.

Desdemona, Deacon, and Nora had crowded around Tom's small computer terminal and watched as he typed away at a bunch of alphanumeric nonsense as it scrolled along the screen. "So those egg heads at the Institute thought they had me beat. They thought 'ol Tom was just some booger-eating trader's kid without a brain in his head—"

"Tom," Desdemona warned. She was already on limited patience.

The man sighed, "Have any of you listened to that classical music station that we have on the radio? No? Just me? Fine. So I guess you also didn't notice that the music has a harmonic resonance — it has a pattern."

"Most music has a pattern, Tom. That's why it's called music." Deacon interrupted smugly. "Songs wouldn't be catchy if they weren't predictable and repetitive."

"True." The man conceded, "But those egg heads somehow managed to hijack the frequencies and use the harmonic patterns to create a stable teleportation field. They're using radio waves to act as a conduit for their relay!"

"Can we please translate this into English." Nora asked. "I understood a third of what you said."

"He's saying that the classical radio channel plays 24/7 because it acts as a beacon of sorts. Without it, teleportation wouldn't be reliable. You may accidentally teleport 100 miles off your intended destination because the signal has nothing to ground itself to." Desdemona explained.

"Exactly!" Tom exclaimed and pulled a re-drawn diagram for the molecular relay. "The relay that we'll build will intercept a relay signal and bounce it back to the source — right back to the Institute."

"Sounds like a plan." Desdemona commented. "Good work, Tom."

The man brushed off the compliment, but not because of false modesty, the man still looked concerned. "Yeah…except there's one teeny, weeny little hiccup in this plan. Our new friend Nora brought us the instructions on how to build this thing, but we're missing one crucial ingredient."

Tom showed them Virgil's original hastily-scrawled blueprint and pointed to the bottom of the materials list. It read: (1) courser chip.

"What's a courser chip?" Nora asked.

The rest of the team visibly paled, and then Deacon spoke up. "Coursers are the only synths allowed to travel in or out of the Institute freely. Common sense would dictate that they have some sort of implant that allows them to keep in contact with the Institute."

"Common sense would also dictate that you should run in the opposite direction if approached by one." Desdemona replied icily. "Now you're telling me that we have to actively hunt one down?"

"Like I said," Tom replied, "a teeny, tiny hiccup."

"How do we even find a courser?" Nora asked. "If they're supposedly Institute killing machines, then I suspect they're not going to be wandering through the Boston ruins like a common raider."

"That's easy." Tom chimed in. "Let me see your fancy PipBoy for a sec."

Nora passed the tech over to Tom who tinkered with the buttons and then removed the back with a screwdriver and implanted a small microchip into the hardware. He closed it back up with deft fingers and turned it to the radio stations. Nora could barely see an alpha-numeric entry that read: Broadcast-23AA3.

"That chip is like the molecular relay, but on a smaller level. She's too small to generate much power, that's why you'll have to get your hands dirty finding this courser, but she can still tap into radio waves and lock onto a courser's signal."

"And where would a courser be hiding out?" Nora wondered aloud. "I can't exactly wander aimlessly through Boston while waiting for my PipBoy to beep."

"I'd start at the CIT itself." Deacon suggested. "The Institute wouldn't send their coursers very far, and the ruins provide adequate cover if things get a little hairy."

"Des, do we have enough agents to assemble a small team to go to the CIT ruins? If a courser is around there, I'd assume that Gen-1 or Gen-2 synths are not far behind." Nora asked.

"We can spare Glory and Drummer Boy in addition to you, Nick, and Deacon. Although it's not ideal, it's all we have right now. Carrington, Tom, and I have been working at recruiting some more agents, but the process has been slow." She replied.

"Well, let's get a move on." Deacon chirped. "No better time like the present. Gotta strike while the iron is hot. We gotta shit or get off the pot…am I missing any other 'let's get going' idioms?"

"Nora, go fill Mister Valentine in on our plan. Deacon's colorful language aside, I agree with him. I'd like you all to leave within the hour. If we can get you to the CIT ruins before it gets too dark, then you'll have the cover of the night to hide your movement." Desdemona said. "Even though this on a hunting expedition, you still need to be discrete."

Nora nodded and took her leave of the agents. Still, she didn't know what else she could say to Nick that would soothe the pain she brought. In fact, she didn't think there was much she could say. If the tables were reversed, she would be just as upset and no amount of crying, apologizing, or prostrating would help ease that pain.

Nora didn't even make it around the first corner in the catacombs before she bumped into Nick as he was making his way back.

"Shit! Nora-" Nick caught her from tripping over backwards and pulled her up against the wall.

"Sorry!" She replied automatically. Her voice was too frantic and it sounded unnatural to her ears. "I was just looking for you. We have to leave in an hour to go to the CIT. Apparently Tom needs us to kill a courser before he can build the relay to teleport me into the Institute."

Nick's yellow eyes seemed luminous in the darkness. His expression was perplexing, but the anger that edged his eyes seemed to dull a little.

Nora didn't know what else she could say.

"So, um. Deacon's waiting for us." She stated.

Still, He was silent. He appraised her, his brows furrowed, and she shifted nervously. She almost asked if he was alright, but she got her answer quickly and unexpectedly.

He kissed her with such force that Nora felt the breath escape her lungs. His body pressed her back up against the cold stone wall. The condensation that clung to the rock wall caused her shirt to stick to her back. His kiss was possessive and passionate. Teeth clashed and hands groped insistently in the darkness. His touch had lost its hesitation; he seemed like a man possessed. When he broke away, he cupped her face in between his hands.

"Nick, I—" Nora started but she was at a loss for words.

"I love you, Nora." He voice was rough but confident. This wasn't a confession but a declaration, and Nora's breath hitched in her chest. Still he continued, "You hurt me, but I'll forgive you in time. We've both fucked up since we got here, but I don't want this to end with us. I need you."

She caressed his ruined cheek and felt moisture stain her fingertips as they grazed below his hypnotic eyes. "I love you too, Nick. Please believe me of that."

"I do, doll." He whispered and caught her lips with his again. His tongue laved across hers and Nora sighed. She missed his taste, she missed how he smelled to her — like tobacco and whisky — and she missed how good he made her feel.

"Turn around." He growled. The bright glow from his eyes was the only source of light. From their vantage point, they couldn't see makeshift door to the headquarter's entrance, and the kerosene lamp that once lit the way had long since burned out.

"Nick?" She asked in confusion but recieved a hard bite beneath her ear and behind her jaw. He tongued the welt that would rise up in the morning. Nora shuddered, this dominant behavior was so unlike him.

"Don't make me repeat myself, doll." His voice was icy.

Nora complied and felt his hands pop the button open on her jeans and then pull them and her underwear down to her ankles. The cold air chilled her backside but it provided an extra layer of stimulation that sent shockwaves down to her core.

Nick's body pressed up behind hers and be resumed nipping and kissing at her pulse point. She turned her head to expose more skin to the synth's incessant assaults and choked out a soft moan when his hand reached behind her and slipped into her wet slit.

"You're awfully aggressive — ha…"

Nick's fingers ran across her clit which broke her train of thought. The force of his body pressed her face against he damp wet slate walls.

"Does that bother you?" She heard him ask in a low, eager voice that dripped of honey.

"God, NO." She cried out as his metal fingers moved her bra to the side and rolled an erect nipple between his fingers.

She could feel Nick smile into her shoulder

"Then you gotta be quiet. I don't want us to draw an audience."

Nora bit her lip to quell another moan that threatened to leak out. She felt her walls clench around Nick's fingers as his thumb drew lazy circles around her clit.

"Nick, quit teasing. We have a time limit here … argh."

He pinched her nipple firmly and the aching pain he caused added a cloying edge to her building climax.

"I said you gotta be quiet." He chastised. "Unless you like being watched that is…"

Nora whimpered and bit her lip. "Please…" She begged.

"Please what, doll?"

Nora didn't respond. She panted and clawed at the wall in front of her. Nick's fingers sped up their thrusting and his thumb slipped side to side across the bundle of nerves. Her jaw fell slack and her eyes squeezed shut as all ambient noise fell to silence and her body tensed up beneath Nick's as he climax chased over her.

She sank against Nick and the arm that was fondling her breasts wrapped around her waist. He kissed the sweat away from her temple and gently removed his hand from her pussy.

"Nick…that was —" Nora's mind swam in a post-orgasmic haze. "Wow."

She turned to him held onto his lapels to steady herself. Her legs were shaking and her entire shirt felt wet from sweat and condensation.

"That wasn't too much, was it?" He asked. Cautious Nick was back and he looked both worried and sheepish.

"Fuck, no." Nora replied emphatically. She pulled him in for a quick but searing kiss. "I liked it a lot."

"If that's how we're gonna apologize to each other, I think I should cause more trouble in the future." She was joking but a dark look passed across Nick's face again

"Just so you know, doll. I'm gonna punch that ghoul sonuvabitch the next time I see him." Nick growled.

"I did already warn him of that." She replied. "Although, he didn't believe you'd do it."

Nick's yellow eyes narrowed at the challenge, but he didn't say anything else about the matter.

"And what about my punishment?" She asked, her voice silky and dripping with innuendo. "I think I got off rather lightly here."

Nick cupped her cheek with his synthetic hand. This thumb brushed across her lips and she could taste herself on his fingers. She had half the mind to suck his fingers into her mouth and clean herself from him.

"Don't worry, doll. Once we kill that courser, you can expect to receive your full punishment." Nick smirked lewdly. "Now, we should get going before they start asking too many questions about our fondness for darkened catacombs."

Nora's voice was husky, "So are you saying this isn't a one-time thing?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Nick's lust heated gaze burned her all over again.

When Nick and Nora came back into the war room and saw that Glory, Drummer Boy, and Deacon were dividing up ammo, medicine, and other necessary supplies. Nora saw that a pile had been left for her on a vacant bed, and she began to pack up as well.

"The fuck happened to you two?" Glory grunted out after seeing the dirt and condensation that streaked the back of Nora's plaid shirt.

"I fell." Nora replied lamely. She had her back to everyone and felt her neck grow hot in embarrassment.

"You fell." Glory repeated in disbelief.

"It's a good thing I was already on my way back." Nick commented lightly. He had a better poker face than Nora did and deflected Glory's suspicion with candor and a charming smile. "I get that you're all about security and stuff, but those catacombs are darker than the back alleys of Chicago. I should give you a fair warning that Nora's a bit accident prone."

Glory didn't believe them, but she had enough good sense to not press for further information. Deacon's eyebrows, however, had risen to the line of his pompadour wig. His suspicion about Nick and Nora's relationship was completely confirmed. Many smart assed questions came to his mind, and it took everything within his self control to hold them back.

Tom, however, mumbled something that caused Nora's face to turn beet red.

"And you guys give me shit for fuckin' with my machines. Ya'll are hypocrites. Nora, I'm happy for ya. Let your freak flag fly."

"Thanks Tom." She mumbled back. If the courser didn't end up killing her, Nora thought, surely the embarrassment from this would.


	19. Because I'm So Scared of Dying

Chapter 19 - Because I'm So Scared of Dying

At nine o'clock, the Railroad agents crept along the waterfront until they reached the outskirts of Bunker Hill. They moved silently; they were clad in shrouded leather armor and road leathers lined with ballistic weave. The only exception was Nick who refused to don anything aside for his trademark detective getup sighting that he didn't need to put on a "monkey suit" to go toe-to-toe with a courser.

The team skirted along the Charles River, but gave Monsignor Plaza a wide berth. The dismembered bodies of unfortunate traders and farmers hung from pillories and rusted pikes. Nora couldn't stand to look at them. She could never understand how raiders could be so sadistic in their crimes. Killing was one thing, but mutilation and the bloody carnage they used as macabre decorations was a whole new level of grotesque.

When they reached the ruins of the CIT, Nora turned her PipBoy to Tom's radio frequency and heard nothing. She waited for nearly ten seconds before the radio frequency trilled out a robotic thump. The sound reminded her of the medal detectors that her parents bought so they could scrounge the shoreline for hidden treasures and lost coins.

Glory and Nora circled the CIT ruins following the infrequent radar beeps. As they went nearly due East, the beeps began speeding up and then picked up the tempo as they got closer to a large skyscraper. It was the Greentech Genetics building.

"Intel has reported that some Gunners have holed up in here." Glory commented once Nora turned the radio signal off on her PipBoy. "If the courser is indeed in here, it's not gonna be a pretty fight. There's only five of us which means everybody has to pull their own weight."

Nora knew Glory was warning her. Although Deacon seemed satisfied that Nora could handle herself alright while on missions, Glory constantly scrutinized every movement and every wrong move that Nora made. She thought the green-behind-the-ears Vault Dweller had no business being out there with them.

"Don't worry, Glory. I wont let you down." Nora replied.

The mohawked woman looked skeptical but said nothing and walked through the alleyway that led back to the CIT ruins.

"Are you even sure you want to poke this beast?" Glory said as they walked past the large, crumbling marble walls. "You're bitting off way more than you can chew."

"Glory, my son is in there. I don't have a choice." Nora urged.

"D'you really think that he'll even know who you are?" She asked. "If he's even alive, they'll have him so brainwashed that all he can see, think, and dream about are the Institute's goals. It took me a long ass time to remove those hooks from my skin, and I know that I'm not the only escaped synth who feels that way."

Glory's memories of the Institute were vivid and horrible. During their walk to the CIT ruins, Deacon asked that Glory fill Nora in on her time in the Institute. Glory did so with great reservation, but held nothing back.

Nora learned that when Glory failed to meet the requirements to be a courser, she was transferred to the Robotics division and helped with synth recycling. Synth recycling was a misnomer, Glory said, because the process of creating a synth was fully organic. Unlike raw materials that can be melted down, recycled, and repurposed into something else, Gen 3 synths who malfunctioned, or those who were considered insubordinate, were sent to Glory and the Robotics team. They were executed and their bodies were burned in a giant incinerator. Glory saw nobody other than the scientists and the other synths that she worked with, and she was forbidden from leaving the barracks when not working.

"So how did you manage to escape?" Nora asked.

"I stole the ID card from a scientist's son when he wasn't looking. It was the kid's first day helping his dad and probably wanted to make a good impression. So, I figured that he'd try to cover up the fact that he 'lost' something so important. My hunch was right and it bought me and a friend enough time to sneak into the relay room and teleport ourselves outta there." Glory tried to smirk but her face pulled into a sad grimace.

"Is your friend a member of the Railroad too?" Nora asked. Aside for the core people, Nora didn't know if they had other agents lying in wait like the informant who sat atop of the overpass outside of the Switchboard.

"No. She...didn't make it. What we did - the executions and the murder - it didn't sit well with her and she went to Goodneighbor. The doc there can wipe people's memories, give them a clean slate ya know? But something went wrong in the process and she never woke up. The doc is keeping her comfortable, probably out of guilt herself, but I don't think its worth it. After the Switchboard fell, I went to Goodneighbor a lot to visit her. She ... She was my sister-in-arms. My best friend."

Nora looked at Glory, the badass, mohawked mercenary who would've gleefully pumped her full of bullets if she so much as looked sideways at any of the Railroad agents, and realized that Glory's badass persona was just a facade. They synth could be ruthless on the battlefield when asked but at great personal costs. She respected the synth a helluva lot more because of it.

A light breeze swept through Nora's hair as they rounded the corner and skirted around the crashed truck carrying industrial waste. The night was moonless and black. Thick clouds obstructed the stars. Boston's city lights glowed incandescently like a beacon to all. Glory led confidently and helped Nora pick her way through the rubble. Before they reached the door that Nick had unlocked after he breached the terminal's security system, Glory gently held Nora back.

"Wait, Nora." She whispered. "I have one more thing to tell you about the Institute. This is something that I have never told Des or Deacon because I feared they'd be too hasty with the information."

"Okay. What's is it?"

"The Institute does some bad shit but the people there - the scientists and their families - are not all bad. Now, I can't speak for the other organizations, but in Robotics there's a scientist who is rather sympathetic towards synths. Now, he's not gonna jeopardize his position to help them, but I overheard an argument that he was having with another scientist about whether synths have souls. His viewpoint was that although we are genetically engineered, we can still feel and think independently. We can also dream. He concluded that synths are not common tools like a toaster or a radio, but rather, they're sentient, alive beings."

"Do you know his name?" Nora asked.

"No. Worker synths were forbidden from talking to anyone aside for our overseers. I never saw him. I only overheard the argument while passing by his office. But knowing that we have one sympathizer on the inside may be just the foothold we need to start working from the inside to free more synths." Glory's voice held an insistent tone. She meant for Nora to be that agent working from the inside.

"Once we get this relay up and running and once I find Shaun, I promise that I'll track down this guy for you." Nora replied, "We'll need all the help we can get."

"Thanks Nora. Now, I'm not saying that you wont get shot to pieces as soon as we enter Greentech Genetics, but I'll do my best to get to them before they get to you."

Glory slapped Nora on the back with a large hand and led Nora inside the CIT ruins to make a game plan.

* * *

"Uh, doll? You got a minute?" Nick asked and gently grabbed her shoulder.

Deacon and Glory were doing a sweep through the nearest hallway after they heard Super Mutants lumbering around looking for the "stoopid metal men." Meanwhile, Drummer Boy was scrolling through a terminal that he restored and occasionally jotted notes down in a small memo pad.

Nora turned to the synth. She already knew what he was going to say. The wary look in his eyes told her that it was his turn to talk about the Institute.

"Of course, Nick. What's on your mind?"

He cleared his throat and fiddled with his fingers for want of a cigarette. Deacon forbade anyone from lighting up while on this trip. He was afraid the glow of a cigarette or the smell of the tobacco would compromise their position.

"It's about the Institute. I want to tell you everything I know, like I promised."

"I appreciate it Nick. I know this is hard. Do you want to sit down?" Nora gestured to a chair nearby. The room was small, and once Deacon, Glory, and Drummer Boy returned, she knew the room would feel even smaller. This was their only time to talk freely.

"No. I'll stand." Nick replied. He needed to expel his nervous energy and pent up anxiety and sitting would only make things worse.

He cleared his throat. "I am being honest with you when I said that I don't remember much. I'm old, Nora."

She rolled her eyes at his self deprecation but he was insistent. "No Nora, I am old. I've been outta the Institute for almost sixty years now. The person or people who ran it back then are probably long dead, and their children have probably taken over. Sometimes I'll get flashes of the Institute, but they're rare and never very clear."

"Do you remember anything tangible? Anything at all?" Nora asked. She didn't want to sound disappointed but the tone crept into her voice nonetheless.

"The one thing I remember the most was the feeling of loneliness." Nick replied quietly. "I was in a glass observation room, but the walls were reinforced so no matter how much I begged and pleaded I couldn't be heard. No matter how much I pounded on the glass, the scientists would just observe me with mildly interested smiles and take notes on a clipboard. I saw no one besides them. I talked to no one. I was alone. Sometimes I'll have flashes of something else in there with me, but nothing ever comes of it. I must've hit my head pretty badly when they tossed me out with the trash."

Nora swallowed thickly and pulled Nick into a hug. "It's okay, Nick. I talked with Glory and I have some good intel."

Nick let out a smoky chuckle. "They're turnin' you into a spy, doll. I dunno if I like it. You were so innocent when I first met you. Now you're gathering intel and getting ready to infiltrate the greatest threat to the Commonwealth itself."

He grabbed onto Nora tightly and bent his head into the crook of her neck. His warm breath tickled her ear slightly.

"I promise that once everything is over, that I'll hang up the spy gig for good." Nora replied. "I'm not looking forward to this Nick. But it has to be done. The shit you experienced, the things Glory had to do, none of that should've happened!"

"Now, do you know why I'm so against you going to the Institute?" Nick asked fiercely. "It's one thing that you're son is there, but its another to go in and end up captured yourself. You are special, Nora. Kellogg chose your son for a reason. Outta all the other uncorrupted, Pre-War people, he chose to spare you and Shaun. There has to be another way to get your answers without putting you in danger."

Tears welled in the corner of Nora's eyes. She understood where Nick was coming from, but she also couldn't agree. Every since she stepped out of Vault 111, Nora felt like she was an imposter. That her survival was a mistake, and that Nate's death was just the result of a trigger happy mercenary. If she was holding Shaun, if she was a better mother and protected her boy, then things could've turned out differently.

"Nick. I have to do this. I have to risk it. The Institute may shoot me on sight, hell, they may dip me into that FEV that makes Super Mutants, but I can't sit here and say that I didn't try to save my son. I might've been shitty mom back then, but I won't fail my son now."

Nora knew she was being unfair to herself. Post-partum depression didn't make one a shitty parent, but Nora's insecurities easily bled into her anxiety about their mission.

"I don't want to lose you, Nora." Nick breathed out. "Don't let history repeat itself. Don't let this be my Eddie Winters incident. I know you're not Jenny, but dammit if Pre-War Nick didn't feel the same way about putting her in danger too."

Nora broke away from Nick and looked at him through bleary, tear-filled eyes. "If this courser kills me, Nick. I want you to send someone to the Institute in my stead. I want you to find out the truth, even if I'm not around to hear about it. Send Deacon, hell, send Hancock if he's willing to go, but don't let this case go cold."

Nick looked horrified at the idea but nodded reluctantly. "Okay, doll."

"Alright lovebirds." Glory barked out and entered the room with Deacon and Drummer Boy. "Time to cut that shit out. We gotta keep focused on the mission at hand. There's no use cryin' over something that hasn't happened yet."

Deacon nodded, "Alright, so our plan A is to go into Greentech Genetics and operate on a cover and sweep system. Glory and Nick will take the lead as they have those synth capabilities to perceive more than us normal folks. Drummer Boy and yours truly will follow behind and we'll pick off people if the fire gets too heavy. And you..." He turned to Nora, "Will do your best to not get shot."

"What?!" She cried indignantly. "I'm not some princess you have to escort. I can handle -"

"This is war, Nora." Deacon cut her off before she could finish her sentence. "You have the greatest task of us all. You have to survive long enough to kill that courser sonofabitch. You proved useful at the Switchboard, but those were reject synths. This place is crawling with Gunner mercenaries. They are heavily armed, heavily protected, and scary as fuck to deal with. You'll be thanking me for this when you avoid getting a missile launcher shot at your ass."

"So what's plan B then?" Nora replied. She knew Deacon was right, but her pride would never let her admit that.

"Plan B is to not fuck up with Plan A." He replied dryly. "Any questions?"

The rest of the group fell silent. Drummer Boy looked focused like a man who was waiting for the starting gun to fire to begin the race. Glory's jaw was clenched into a scowl but her eyes held anxiety and concern. Deacon's face remained neutral, but his sunglasses obscured the abject fear in his eyes. Nick's eyes were vacant. His fingers trembled and Nora intertwined hers into his and gave his hand a comforting squeeze.

"Alright, let's go kill us a courser." She announced.

* * *

The Gunners knew they were there as soon as they stepped into the building.

"SECURITY BREACH IN LOBBY. UNKNOWN NUMBER OF INTRUDERS. SQUADRON A - DEAL WITH THE SECURITY THREAT. SQUADRON B - KILL THE COURSER" The intercom boomed.

The firefight started immediately and the team quickly skirted along the western wall of the Greentech lobby while Glory's minigun returned fire to the snipers on the balcony.

All Nora could hear was the rapid 'chug-chug-chug' of Glory's gun. It's barrel glowed red as though the Devil himself was spiting fire at her enemies.

As they snuck their way through the maze-like hallways, Drummer Boy and Deacon opened every door and took aim at any possible assailants. They worked with military precision and worked silently. Deacon communicated to Drummer Boy with sharp hand signals and Drummer Boy followed his commands without question.

They didn't encounter any more enemy fire until they reached the balcony entrance. The men and women that ambushed them earlier were lying in pools of blood. The minigun had shredded one so badly that his intestines draped over the balcony and into the lobby below. Nora took a shuddering breath and felt herself become queasy.

As they walked into the next room, two accordion windows opened to reveal live turrets and a swath of more armed Gunners. Nora ducked around the corner started shooting at the nearest turret while Glory's minigun sliced through more Gunners with a haze of bullets. The first turret exploded, and she heard the pained scream of a Gunner that had gotten too close and was caught in the explosion. He wasn't dead, but he was incapacitated.

Nick was taking carefully placed shots at a large Gunner who had several frag grenades strapped to his bandoleer. The detective's yellow eyes emitted pinpricks of light amid the dense haze and smoke from the explosions. Nora saw the man pull the pin from one grenade and lob it high into the air. She watched the grenade reach the apex of the ark and knew it would land right next to her if she didn't do something quickly.

She sprinted into the room, jumped over a dead Gunner, and heard the grenade explode on impact. Shrapnel from the broken wall and ceiling rained down and covered her in white drywall. However, the Gunner's eyes grew wide when he saw Nora emerge from the smoke. He wasn't expecting a direct assault and didn't draw his gun in time. Her body crashed into his and they both slammed into a dead potted tree.

Nora heard gunfire all around her. She could smell the stench of the man's soiled uniform. But none of that mattered. She put her pistol to the man's head and pulled the trigger before his face could register what was about to happen.

Part of his skull exploded. The gore splashed her face with a red mist and Nora could taste the man's blood on her lips. Suddenly a hand grabbed her and pulled her away from the body. Deacon's face swam in front of hers but it was blurry. She realized that the water on her face was her tears. He was saying something to her but his voice came out all garbled and unintelligible.

"ALL UNITS FALL BACK. THE COURSER IS OUR PRIME TARGET." The intercom boomed and then crackled.

As the smoke began to clear, Nora counted twelve Gunner bodies. The ones that met Glory's gun were nothing more than piles of parts, but the rest all died with expressions of rage, fear, and in some cases, regret on their faces.

Deacon shook her from her daze and his voice was low, almost ernest. "Nora. Hey, Nora. You're okay. Listen, you're fine. You did the right thing. That grenade would've blown you to smithereens if you stayed in hiding."

Nora looked at the man's body once more and then back into Deacon's veiled eyes. She suddenly didn't feel very well at all, and pushed past Deacon and emptied the contents of her stomach into the dead garden below.

She coughed and retched. Nick's smooth, warm hand caressed her back. The road leathers stuck to her skin. She wanted to call it quits. But the thought of abandoning Shaun forced her upright.

"I'm fine. Let's go." She said hollowly. Drummer Boy looked skeptical but Glory seemed to pity her.

"Doll, are you sure?" Nick asked. White drywall dusted his face which gave his blue-tinged skin a more ashen complexion.

"Yes. We're all alive aren't we?" She surveyed the group and saw that everyone had made it out of the fray with relatively minor injuries. The worst injury of the group was Drummer Boy who seemed to be favoring his right leg.

Deacon gave Nora an encouraging smile. "You heard the woman. Let's move out."

The fight towards the elevators had less people, but the fighting itself was trickier. Glory was out of ammo and was forced to leave her minigun behind. So she picked a plasma rifle off a dead raider and grabbed a few frag grenades from the man that Nora killed.

The hallways were cramped and one Gunner caught Deacon unaware as they rounded the corner by some bathrooms. He hissed in pain as the Gunner's laser rifle grazed his left shoulder.

"What the-" The Gunner cursed as Deacon spun around on his heels and put a bullet between the man's eyes.

"Shit, Deacon!" Nora cried out. "Are you okay?"

He smiled as his hand tenderly brushed over the wound. Upon closer inspection, Nora saw that the laser bullet grazed the fabric of his road leathers. Beneath the fabric, a thick mesh poked out, albeit a bit melted.

"You think we'd take on a Gunner hideout while wearing brahmin hide for armor?" He replied with a grin. "You can thank Tom when we get back. His ballistic weave can deflect laser rifle shots and absorb the energy. It still burned me all to hell, but I could've lost my arm. Small victories are still victories."

Nora looked at her own long sleeve and saw the same fabric stitched into the leather.

"C'mon, let's keep moving." Deacon ordered.

The elevators that they needed to access were across a walkway that had two dead raiders laying in the middle of it. Apparently the courser had already thinned the Gunner's forces. Drummer Boy tentatively stepped out onto the walkway but a quick beeping from a hidden land mine sent him scurrying backwards.

Nora expected heat from the explosion but felt an intense, bone-chilling cold instead. Drummer Boy cried out and grabbed his gloved hands in pain. His right pinky finger and his left thumb had turned black, while the rest of his fingers looked red and frostbitten.

"F-FUCK!" He cursed. Glory was already next to him tearing the gloves off and administering some Med-X and a stimpack.

"What the fuck was that?" She asked.

The mine created a fine mist of melting ice and Nora wrinkled her nose against the smell. It smelled just like the cryo pod did in Vault 111.

"It's a cryo mine." Nora replied confidently. "Whoever made it must've had connections to Vault 111. It's the same technology that was used to put us in cryostasis."

"Gunners don't have that type of tech at their disposal." Deacon replied with a frown.

"No, but coursers do." Glory replied grimly. "And it apparently spreads."

Drummer Boy's hand was beginning to turn black as the tissue rapidly died.

"Just fuckin' leave me. I can still walk. I'll run back to the HQ and get Carrington on this right away."

"You can't go alone." Nick pointed out. "You're defenseless if you can't hold a gun."

"He's right." Glory agreed. "I'll go back with him. The elevators are right over there. The courser's already cleared the way for you three. We'll see you at HQ soon. If you get into trouble, activate this and Tom will get a distress signal."

Glory passed a small modified walkie-talkie to Deacon.

"Alright you two. Don't be getting into any trouble. We'll be back soon." Deacon said. His tone was light and friendly, but his hand clenched the small pistol at his side.

"C'mon Nick. Nora. Let's go kill us a courser."

Thankfully, the elevator ride to the top was short. There was only one Gunner standing next to a computer terminal and he went down quickly to Deacon's silenced pistol. They sidestepped around the tripwires and traps and entered a large circular room that had stairs ascending nearly four levels. Through the metal flooring, Nora could see the vague shape of a person standing. Sneaking up on him would be impossible, so Nora drew her gun and prepared herself for a fight.

After creeping up the third staircase, she heard the panicked voice of a man.

"PLEASE! PLEASE DON'T SHOOT M-"

A gunshot rang out and silenced the man's cries.

A cruel voice bit out, "If you'd like to be next, please be my guest. Otherwise, stop resisting."

Two more Gunners sat against the wall. One looked young and fresh. His face held hardly any scaring, and he looked to be no more than fifteen. The man to his right was grizzled and beat up. He had a black eye beginning to form, and dried blood stained his nose.

Nora's hands trembled. Nick and Deacon hung back in the shadows. Nora had to do this. If she could kill Kellogg, then she knew she could kill this courser or die trying.

She could see the man; he was tall, well-built, and dressed in black leather. Aside for his cropped auburn hair and his lighter skin, this man looked similar to the courser in Kellogg's memory. His eyes, a cold, calculating steel grey, surveyed the room. She wasn't going to get the drop on him.

"You can come out." He stated seemingly bored. "I know you're hiding in the shadows. Come out and face me like a man."

Nora's blood turned to ice. She couldn't stay anything, and couldn't make a run for it. The courser was stronger and faster than she was and he'd easily catch up to her before Deacon and Nick could intervene.

Nora stood up straight and walked into the circular room. A bald man dressed in heavy combat armor sat against the wall with his arms tied in front of him. His younger compatriot sat unbound but shaking like a leaf. His eyes were terrified and he whimpered upon seeing Nora.

The courser ignored the man and stepped over the man's two dead comrades before saying, "You've been following me. Why?"

He cocked a dark eyebrow in amusement as he appraised the woman before him.

She licked her dry lips before speaking. "That's really not important. I'm not here to talk."

"No. I suppose you're not." He sneered. His lips turned up into a brief, haughty smile. "Am I allowed to know the name of my assassin? You're obviously here for the courser chip."

His voice was light but it still held a dangerous edge.

Nora's mind reeled. How could he possibly know that? She gripped her pistol tighter.

He smirked as though he read her mind. "You know, I've heard a lot about you ... _Nora_." His lips curled into an insincere smile as he continued, "Although, you're a lot less impressive than I thought you would be."

Nora pulled her messenger bag tighter to her body. Could this be Shaun? No, she decided. He looked nothing like her or Nate. He was just trying to distract her, Nora reasoned. This was all bluster. There's no way he could know her. She couldn't let him get under her skin.

The time to talk was over. She knew the courser wouldn't lay down his life willingly, and she very well couldn't explain the situation. She could see the farce now: _Oh yes, would you mind me shooting you in the head? You have a computer chip I need to infiltrate the most mysterious place in all of the Commonwealth._

Instead, Nora raised her gun without another word, aimed it at the courser's head, and squeezed the trigger. In the split second that it took for the bullet to leave Nora's gun, the courser managed to side step out of her aim and knock the gun from her hands.

He moved at seemingly inhuman speed, and before Nora could register what had happened, she felt his muscular arm close around her neck in a back choke. Nick and Deacon rushed out of the darkness and had their own weapons raised, but Nora felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed against her temple.

"If you come any closer, she dies." The courser said calmly. As if to punctuate his threat, Nora heard the mechanical buzz of the weapon as it began charging up a laser beam.

Nora gasped for breath but refused to go down without a fight. She aimed a well placed kick at the back of the courser's knee. His leg buckled beneath him and they both fell to the ground. Her body was on top of his, but the courser's grip on Nora's neck became firmer and more unyielding. He was squeezing the breath out of her and a dull pain behind her eyes told her that unconsciousness would soon follow.

Nick and Deacon had their guns trained on them both, but neither could get a clear shot without accidentally shooting Nora too.

"You Railroad types are so...predictable." The courser sneered and pulled Nora to her feet. You think that infiltrating the Institute could ever work?" He began taking small steps backwards dragging Nora with him. "You are like dumb mice running through a maze - a maze that you run through for our entertainment. You'll never find the cheese at the end because there is none. The Institute knows everything about the Railroad and its activities. We knew about this shoddy setup every since you started planning it in your little underground catacomb that you call a headquarters."

Deacon's face paled. The headquarters had been compromised. It was the Switchboard all over again, and this time, the stakes were much, much higher.

Now the courser was obviously gloating, "Capturing the Vault Dweller would've been a lot more tedious if we had to infiltrate a place like Diamond City. Dead settlers tend to cause more of a uproar among the masses than dead raiders do. So, thank you for bringing her to me. Now, if only she wasn't so insubordinate."

The courser pushed her roughly away from him and she fell to her knees. She didn't see the butt of his laser rifle but felt the blow as it cracked into her skull. Nora went sprawling and through her haze, she heard the electrical crack of his rifle firing. She saw Deacon fall first, and then she watched as Nick fell painfully onto his back. He was shot in the stomach and grimaced when his head hit the metal floor.

Nora wanted to cry out to them, but her tongue felt too sizes too large for her mouth. Then the courser roughly pulled her to her feet. Nora and Nick locked eyes. Nick's yellow optics blazed in defiance as he scrambled to his feet. Sparks jumped out from the wound but he felt no pain. Adrenaline dulled his sensors, but his legs refused to bare his weight. He collapsed against the wall defeated and dejected.

Deacon, on the other hand, was fairing far worse. His pompadour wig flew off to reveal a bald, bloodstained head. The gunshot hit him square in the chest and red blood leaked out onto the metal floor.

The courser spoke into his sleeve, "This is Z2-47 requesting relay. I have Mother."

"NO!" Nick roared as blue light crackled around their bodies. Nora saw Nick rush towards her but saw nothing else for a moment. The darkness was all consuming and then a bright, sterile light blinded her.

Indistinct voices swirled around her, but once she felt hands grabbing her arms and legs she fought and kicked at them.

"NOOOOOOOO" Nora shrieked. She writhed and thrashed. She wouldn't go down without a fight, dammit!

Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw several people in old world doctor's scrubs wearing medical face masks. Two more coursers grabbed her and brought her to an examination table. They bound her arms, legs, torso, and neck with heavy leather straps and placed a face mask over her nose and mouth.

One of the taller of the doctors approached her. His hair was nearly completely white, but it was cut short and styled handsomely. His head temporarily blocked the bright examination light and Nora looked into his clear blue eyes. Eyes that looked so much like Nate's. She stopped struggling for a moment and then felt a pinch in her neck and saw a syringe in the man's hand.

The scene before her swirled into a kaleidoscope of colors before she fell into unconsciousness.


	20. Institutionalized

Part two of this series is entitled The Dark I Know So Well and things are going to take a bit of a darker turn. Keep an eye out! It should be up in the next few days.

Also, at nearly 10k words, this is the longest chapter of the bunch. Keep in mind, I'm not a medical-minded person, nor am I an engineer, so some suspension of disbelief will be needed in this chapter. Google and Wikipedia were invaluable to me during the writing process.

Thank you to everyone who took time to comment, favorite, and/or simply read a few chapters. I appreciate the support.

Chapter 20 - Institutionalized.

Nora awoke to feather-light touches brushing across her skin. She opened her eyes and saw that the same white-haired man who injected her with the syringe was now undoing the leather straps on her wrist and ankles. She was no longer on an examination table, but instead, she was in a hospital bed and pillows propped her up into a sitting position.

She flinched at the man's touch and looked around the room in a panic. Nora tried to find anything that she could use as a weapon, but was dismayed to find that the room was spartan and bare. Aside for a plastic nightstand and a sterling metal chair over by the door, the bed was the only piece of furniture in the room.

"I'm sorry about all of the trauma you experienced getting here." The man said. His voice was calm and confident. "I did not plan for you to arrive here in such a barbaric fashion. Z2-47 will be disciplined for his rash, emotional reaction."

Nora's hand brushed the lump at the back of her head and winced. She wanted to tell the man that getting pistol whipped with a laser rifle was a little more than a 'rash action.'

"What did you do to me?" Nora croaked out. Her throat was painfully dry.

"Nothing harmful, believe me." The man replied. His brows furrowed as though the thought of harming Nora was abhorrent and painful to think about. "I had to sedate you upon arrival. I didn't want you to accidentally hurt yourself or the other doctors when you were in such a heightened state of distress."

"But why?" Nora coughed out? "Why bring me here? I'm nobody. I-I was just trying to look for my son."

Hot tears spilled over Nora's eyes. She was going to die here, she thought. She'd never see Nick or Hancock again. Hell, she even missed Deacon's insufferable grin. But the worst part of it was that she was going to die without ever knowing what happened to Shuan.

"Mother, please don't cry." The man replied. He frowned at her and gently patted her arm consolingly.

Nora blinked in confusion at the old man through bleary, tear-filled eyes. There was that term again: _Mother_. The courser called her that too. The term wasn't just a label or a term of endearment, it was a title. Something didn't sit right with her, and she scrutinized the old man.

Now that he had his doctor's mask off, Nora couldn't help but notice how his jawline curved down prominently like Nate's did. His blue eyes - the same color as Nate's - were protected by thick, full eyebrows; his mouth was turned up into a wry, boyish grin as he watched Nora put together the evidence laid out in front of her.

He looked just like Nate, albeit some four decades older.

"Shaun?" Nora breathed out in fear. Fear of her crazy suspicions but also fear that she was actually right. This old man standing in front of her couldn't be her son. He couldn't. He was suppose to be a child. But something inside Nora told her that all of the evidence pointed to the contrary.

A small, regretful smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. "Yes, Mother. I am Shaun. I am your son."

"No." She replied in a low voice. "No. It can't be. How is this possible?"

All of the evidence that Nick had found, all of the hard facts that they dug out of Kellogg's memories, all of it pointed to her son being around ten years old. Nothing made sense.

"You can't be Shaun. You're much too ..."

"Much too old?" He finished for her with a sad grin. "Is it really that hard to believe that sixty years has passed when I was pulled from the Vault and brought here?"

 _Sixty_ years? Nora gaped at the thought. She looked at the man again. Nora knew it as sure as she knew her own name. There was no mistake. Call it a mother's intuition or instinct, but Nora knew he was telling the truth. The man before her was indeed her son. He was alive, and she had found him at last.

Nora jolted up to her knees, overturning the covers and knocking the pillows askew, and pulled the man into a life-squeezing hug. Despite his age, his body was solid and healthy. Shaun staggered from the unexpected contact and gently patted Nora's arm. He didn't hug her back, but Nora didn't care about that.

Gently, he pushed Nora from him and settled her back down in the hospital bed.

"It's so good to see you after all of these years." He replied. His smile - Nate's smile - reached his eyes. "Please don't be offended about my hesitation. I'm not accustom to physical affection. My upbringing was rather ... unconventional. But we'll get to that later. You need to rest a little more first."

"No. No, it's fine." Nora said in a rush. "I just..."

She took a closer look at her son and the weight of his age hit her in the chest. She had missed so much.

"God, Shaun. I'm so sorry. I -"

The man cut her off with a brisk wave of his hand. "Don't worry about that right now. Let's start anew. You can call me Shaun, but to everyone else I am called Father. Welcome to the Institute. I would like to show you around, but you're a bit frail at the moment. You suffered some injuries that need to be mended. I'm also concerned about that shoddily-mended wound on your side. It was poisoned, was it not?"

Nora ignored his questions. She couldn't bare to think about the wasteland, about Pickman, or about the bumps, bruises, and scars that she had accumulated during her journey. None of that mattered to Nora now.

"How did you survive, Shaun?" Nora asked. "As soon as I emerged from the Vault, I assumed the worst. I assumed that you were long dead. I traveled halfway across Boston looking for you, and you've been here this entire time. Why didn't you try to contact me?"

Father looked perplexed. It was as though the idea had never occurred to him to make his presence known to Nora.

"Nora, to you, my kidnapping was a heinous crime. A crime which you actively sought revenge for, but to me, my kidnapping was a salvation. I was saved from the wasteland and all of its horrors and brought here. I was raised here. I quickly rose through the ranks and became its youngest director in the Institute's history. Thanks to my leadership, we've made great strides in scientific progress and we continue to do so. Surely you can be happy about that."

"Of course I can!" Nora urged and sat up higher in the bed. "I just - I - I just wish I could've gotten to you sooner. I never got a chance to raise you, and your father ..."

Nora stopped. She couldn't think about Nate right now.

"Yes, your husband's death was an unfortunate instance of collateral damage." Shaun replied bitterly.

"My husband and _your_ father." Nora pointed out frowning at Shaun's detached, cold tone.

"Yes." He replied carefully. "And I'll never forgive Kellogg for what he did. He was the most ruthless agent that the Institute ever had the displeasure of employing, but he was effective and did his job well. Believe me, I do not mourn his death."

"Director" A cool voice interrupted from an intercom "You are wanted in the SRB immediately."

"Thank you Allie, I'll be there right away." He replied aloud to the room. Father adjusted the IV bag next to her bed and checked the heart rate monitor.

"Get some rest Nora. Tomorrow I'll show you around and introduce you to some of the department heads. You'll find that you're going to be quite a spectacle for a while. Aside for Dr. Li, you're the first wastelander we've had join us in the past twenty years."

Nora watched as Shaun walked to the door. He paused to dim the lights in the room and then left Nora with her thoughts.

The machines nearby beeped quietly and Nora's whole body ached. Her last thought before slipping into a light, fitful sleep was of Nick's face as the blue relay field crackled around her. The rage, confusion, and fear was all too evident and raw. She couldn't shake the uncanny similarity of his expression as Nora was taken by the courser. It was the exact same expression she had when she watched Shaun's kidnapping sixty years earlier.

* * *

"HANCOCK!" Nick roared as he stormed across the central square in Goodneighbor. The synth looked like he had been chased there by the hounds of Hell. He was limping badly and had dark coolant staining his coat and shirt. His gun was unholstered and the barrel was still smoking.

Two crows sat on Daisy's stand and watched the spectacle with keen interest. Their red eyes stared unyieldingly at the injured synth detective. One bird, almost disgruntled, let out a sharp caw and swooped down and landed on a wooden table where Trashcan Carla had her choice weapons and armor on display.

She looked at the bird with a smirk. The cigarette between her fingers smoldered and she observed the spectacle with mild interest.

The Mayor heard the commotion and went out onto his balcony but only saw the wisps of Nick's coattails as he raced into the Old State House. Everyone in the square stopped to watch, and a few looked questioningly up at Hancock, but he brushed off their silent questions with a good-natured smile and a dismissive wave of his hand.

Nick's footsteps quickened as he ran up the stairs, and Hancock heard Fahrenheit's heavy weight shift towards the front of his office door as she prepared to stop the synth from entering.

"I need to see Hancock" Nick panted.

"He's bus-"

"Let him in." Hancock commanded. While he instructed Fahrenheit to keep out anyone until he had gotten good and high, he figured this intrusion was an appropriate exception.

The synth limped into the room and nearly collapsed into the ghoul. Hancock caught him and lowered him gently to the floor.

Hancock's dark eyes widened as he saw the seriousness of the situation. Nick wasn't merely injured, he was nearly on death's door.

Fahrenheit looked on in shock and confusion. Coolant was leaking onto the wood floor as the synth panted laboriously.

"Go get Amari." Hancock barked to Fahrenheit and gently untangled his legs from the synth's heavy body. He pulled Nick into an upright position and leaned him against the couch.

"What the fuck happened Nicky? Where's Nora."

The synth shuddered and a few trills and stutters emanated from his throat before he could finally speak.

"Close the windows and doors!" He barked. "They've been following me!"

"What the fuck are ya talking about?"

"Just do it!"

The synth writhed on the floor. His dress slacks stuck to the back of his legs. Coolant smeared the wood like inky paint.

Hancock quickly complied to Nick's orders and drew the curtains closed. When he went to close the large double doors that let out to the balcony, he saw a crow sitting on the whitewashed railing. It cocked its head expectantly and looked the ghoul right in the eyes.

The ghoul had never seen a bird that bold. Nor had he remembered seeing one with bright red eyes. Granted, he never paid attention to the birds in the Commonwealth. They were just there. Like the rusted cars, ruined buildings, and Pre-War junk that littered the landscape; he figured the birds were the extraordinarily fortunate product of a bygone era.

An uneasy feeling sat in the pit of his stomach. Once Fahrenheit got back with Amari, he'd send her out to round up the Neighborhood Watch. Something fishy was going on in town and he didn't like it one bit.

Hancock closed the whitewashed doors and flipped the lock for good measure. Without the natural light from outside, the room was dark and Hancock lit a kerosene lamp that sat on the desk.

"Good. Good." Nick panted out like a phantom in the darkness. "You gotta listen to me, John. I dunno how much time I have."

Nick grabbed for Hancock's ruined arm and pulled him back to the floor. His grip was unyielding, but his eyes were dim and unfocused.

"Nora's been kidnapped by the Institute." He failed to keep his voice neutral and the announcement came out as a dry sob. "A courser grabbed her when we were over at Greentech Genetics doing some work for the Railroad. They were waiting for us - it was a fucking trap!"

"Woah, woah. Slowdown. Courser? Trap? I don't understand."

The synth shook his head frantically. "There's not enough time to explain! This place isn't - ARGH -" a small but bright spark arched from his midsection and skipped across the floor. Nick panted and clawed at the couch cushion in pain. "This place isn't safe! The Railraod's been compromised. Deacon ... FUCK ... He didn't m-m-"

The man before him writhed in pain. He clenched his teeth and his skeletal metal hand was squeezed into a tight fist. If he was a flesh and blood human, Hancock would've doped the poor bastard up to get him through the pain, but chems didn't have an effect on older model synths.

"Hey, hey." He said in a low, soothing voice. The ghoul felt more useless as the seconds ticked by and fear began to creep into the his psyche. Yet, he pushed all that aside and grabbed Nick's hand as he bled out onto his office floor.

"Hang in there Nicky." His voice was rough and low. "Amari's on her way to fix you up."

Nick didn't seem hear him. "You g-gotta get some people together. Trustworthy people. Be discrete and do it in secret. Someone will get in contact with you soon. W-we have to save Nora. Des and Carrington are t-trying to salvage what they can. Tom sh-should be on his w-way here with PAM."

He closed his eyes and tried to remember the past six hours. When Deacon was shot, he managed to activate the distress beacon before he lost consciousness. The machine's cool voice said, "Record your message now" and Nick sent out a call for help. He had no idea how long it would take Desdemona to come to their rescue. In fact, he slipped into an auxiliary power mode as his system struggled to run with the lack of coolant.

When he came to, he saw that Deacon's body was gone. Carrington did what he could to restore most of Nick's faculties, but he was a doctor not a mechanic, and only managed to get Nick's core systems restored. The gunshot wound still sparked painfully but the tourniquet he applied was strong enough to staunch the worst of the bleeding. The patch job was enough for Nick to hobble to Goodneighbor, or so he thought.

The journey to Goodneighbor was a risk, but he refused to die in some rundown skyscraper amid the litter of dead Gunners and Pre-War artifacts. Gen-1 synths dogged his every movement. He fought most of them off, but then a patroller caught him down a dead end alleyway. Nick scaled a fire escape but also ripped Carrington's tourniquet open in the process.

The synths had chased him all the way to Goodneighbor's door. Ever since Gen-1 and Gen-2 synths started appearing topside, he had always seen them clustered in groups collecting valuable salvage. He had never heard of synths teleporting one-by-one into a person's path. He thought the first two encounters were flukes, but then he saw that each synth encounter coincided with a flock of crows watching him from afar.

"Nicholas?" Amari's voice called. His eyes snapped open and her face swam into view. He must've passed out again because he was no longer in Hancock's office. Instead, he was laying on an examination table and was bare from the waist up.

"Nicholas, stay with me."

He blinked several times and tried to lift his head up to look at Amari but his head swam and throbbed.

"Hang in there, Nicky." Hancock's rough voice urged.

"They're watching me." He whispered. His mind swam in pain. The room was falling out of focus again and Nick fought to keep his head above water.

"Who's watching you?" Amari replied. She worked frantically to staunch the bleeding. Her hands were stained up to her arms with viscous black coolant. The laser had severed and cauterized bundles of thin tubing that acted as veins and arteries. She deftly worked to reconnect them with a soldering iron.

"AAAAH," Nick cried out. His body seized but Hancock's arms kept him still.

"Nicky, who's watching you?" Hancock urged.

"They're in the air." he groaned, "Those dammed birds."

"Grab him tightly, John." Amari ordered. "He's going into a seizure."

The ghoul forced Nick's shoulders down as Amari held onto his legs and his waist. Nick's body jostled and trembled fiercely. His vision went dark and then his hearing went soon afterwards. An infernal ringing filled his ears as he felt his systems seize up.

"John, give me that repair kit on the surgical tray." Amari barked. Once she reconnected the severed arteries and veins, the increase in blood flow created a thermal runaway in his system which was crashing his processors.

The ghoul obeyed and Amari unrolled a Pre-War syringe from the thick leather. She needed to counteract the chemical reaction that was causing his body to generate heat at an exponential rate.

"Stand back!" She commanded to Hancock and then plunged the syringe into Nick's exposed neck and dispensed the plunger.

Nick's body jostled and seized and a faint clicking could be heard as his body tried to restart itself. A rush of steam escaped from his open wound; Hancock looked on in horror but Amari seemed satisfied with the outcome.

"Drag that terminal cart over here, John." Amari barked. "He's gonna need the extra power and memory as his systems fight to get back online.

Hancock rolled the terminal over while minding the chords that now spread across the floor like thick snakes. He handed her two small copper cables that had lead nodes attached to the ends. She attached one to each temple and fiddled with the dials and knobs before flipping a large breaker. The lights inside the small doctor's room dimmed briefly before the auxiliary generator kicked on.

Nick was uncomfortably still; Amari and Hancock watched and waited with baited breath to see if the terminal's power would help facilitate his processors and get them back online.

 _C'mon Nicky. You can beat this. You can't leave Nora. She fuckin' needs you._ Hancock thought and ground his teeth hard against his lip.

A full minute passed but it felt like an eternity, then Nick's chest let out a rattling wheeze and his breathing started back up again.

"Oh thank God." Amari breathed out. She began checking the readings on the terminal and made several adjustments with deft keystrokes. "Yes! His circulatory system has balanced out and his body is slowly adjusting to the influx of new coolant. He's not out of the woods yet, but it's looking a lot more hopeful. God damn..."

Hancock chuckled weakly and sank into the chair next to the synth. He had never heard Amari curse before, but he thought that 'damn' was much too mild. Nick's jaw was slack and his mouth was partially opened. His head was tilted away from the ghoul, but he looked almost peaceful. His mottled hand held on to Nick's smooth synthetic arm.

"Atta boy, Nicky." He whispered. "We'll get those Institute bastards. Don't you worry. Nora will be back here before long. The Institute has fucked with the wrong ghoul."

His dark eyes stared but he wasn't looking at anything in particular. His mind was much too troubled. He took a deep hit of Jet and let his forehead rest into his palms. Something that Nick had said didn't sit right with him. At first he chalked it up to the synth's failing faculties as his body nearly self-destructed, but then the unyielding red eyes of that crow perched upon the whitewashed railing swam into his mind on a Jet-induced haze. Dread and horror shocked the ghoul right out of the chair.

He left Nick's side and stormed up the stairs. His untied red jacket wiped around him like a cape. As he barged into the street, Hancock pulled out a small throwing knife that he kept in his boot and found his target a mere ten yards away.

A black crow sat picking worms out of the ground near the backside of the Old State House. He grabbed his knife by the hilt and threw it at the bird with a deft, practiced flick of his wrist. The knife hit true and stuck the bird into the ground.

The animal let out a small squeak and Hancock walked over to inspect his kill. He pulled the knife out of the bird with one hand and picked up the dead animal with the other. It's body leaked a black substance onto his mottled hand. It was the same black substance that Amari was currently washing off of her arms and hands after operating on Nick.

"No." He growled in disbelief and then tore the bird in two.

Instead of bird bones and gore, more coolant and impossibly small wires and metal bones spilled out into his hands. The bird's red eyes had gone dim - like someone had switched off it's power - and Hancock knew the horrible truth.

Other crows nearby took flight as Hancock threw the broken synthetic bird's body into the gutter. He stormed into the Old State House and then went into the Third Rail through a back door.

The place was deserted with the exception of a drunk ghoul who was passed out in an old, blue loveseat. Hancock made his way to the VIP room and roused the young mercenary from his sleep.

"Mac, get up." he growled.

The kid stirred and groaned. "Shit Hancock, it's not even the afternoon yet. What the fuck?"

"Yer sabbatical ends now MacCready." He said. "I got a job for you. And I pay well."

With MacCready's help, the ghoul was going to exterminate every last synth bird that he could find.

* * *

Although Nora's first impression of the Institute was less than ideal, her second impression was that the place was a hidden wonder of the world.

Shaun explained that the CIT was given advanced warning about the likelihood of a nuclear detonation and thus a lot of time and effort was spent creating a safe haven for the faculty, scientists, and their families.

Purified water cascaded down the walls and then ran towards the center of the atrium where it then trickled down into unseen culverts and pipes. It was then recycled, filtered again, and pumped over to the hydroponics lab and into the living quarters to be used to shower with and flush the toilets. Additionally, the water fed the blossoming trees and the real grass that lined the clean white sidewalks thus creating a small microenvironment and the first green grass that Nora had seen in over 200 years.

A couple of bald Gen-2 synths pruned bushes and branches off a thick maple tree. Other synths milled around doing odd jobs. One was repairing a sensor that controlled a nondescript grey sliding door while another was pushing a large laundry cart full of uniforms, linens, and sheets.

Father guided her around the atrium explained what each division did. Their first stop was outside an archway that had a large glowing green sign that read: Bioscience Division.

"The Bioscience Division is the oldest division in the Institute." Father lectured. "After the CIT went underground, they spent the first few decades researching different ways to work with the hydroponic labs and how to grow food while underground. All of our food has been genetically modified to use less water, be more resilient in harsh environments, and to produce a higher yield. And the entire process is sustainable. We compost any excess waste and we preserve foods in case of famine or other unforeseen incidences. But now that the Institute is more stable, the Bioscience Division has been able to branch out in other unique and creative avenues."

The white laboratory held a variety of plant species in self-contained greenhouse pods. Attendants and scientists occasionally checked the nearby terminals and took notes on a clipboard. Father guided Nora to the far side of the room where two large silverback gorillas sat eating bananas behind a class enclosure.

"Are those real?" Nora asked quietly. She had never seen a gorilla outside of a zoo before and the ones that she did see were often lethargic and sick from being improperly taken care of, but these animals looked healthy and strong.

"No." Father replied with a small smile. "These gorillas are synthetic and the bananas were grown in our hydroponic labs. After the Institute felt satisfied that they could feed and care for all of their scientists, the desire to test the limits of science and technology became insatiable. The android project - which we now call synths - started shortly after. This is Dr. Holden's pet project. I encourage our scientists to pursue scientific hobbies and interests that may benefit the Institute in some way. These gorillas could be the next step in redefining humanity's future."

Nora heard the pride in Father's voice and took a look at the gorillas again. The one on the left grabbed onto a vine that was hanging from the ceiling of their enclosure and pulled it down with a sharp tug and then threw one end of it over the branch of a tree. Within minutes, the large animal had created a rudimentary swing and hooted as he swung back and forth on the vines.

Father gently guided her by the shoulder towards a small, lit hallway lined with microscopes, handsaws, and other medical equipment. "In here, please."

"We are going through a restricted area." Father said. "Do not try to go through here unless accompanied by myself or another Institute staff member."

Nora was led into a large room that was about twice as large as the Bioscience laboratory. This room had a high dome ceiling and four large pools of gelatinous flesh-colored liquid. Near each pool, workers monitored computers while large mechanized robotic arms assembled human skeletons within seconds.

Father gestured grandly at the automations. "This is the Robotics division, and this is Dr. Binet, he is the head of the division."

A man in an orange lab suit stepped forward and grasped her hand tightly. His auburn hair was thinning on the top, but his hazel eyes held a stern, serious constitution.

"Greetings, Mother. I am honored to finally meet you. Without you, none of this would be possible."

Nora looked around confused. "Sorry, but what is … this" She gestured at everything.

Dr. Binet looked at Father in shock, "I — I'm sorry." He replied. "I thought you'd be more up to date on how synths were created."

"I have yet to get into the specifics, I'm afraid." Father replied. "Although, Nora was studying to be a lawyer so I think we can stick to layman's terms for now."

"Oh," Dr. Binet replied. "Well, in that case, I think showing you a demonstration is simpler than explaining it. Are we ready for the _demonstration_?"

Nora noticed the emphasis that he put on "demonstration" and suddenly felt nervous.

"Yes, I believe we are." Father replied. "Nora, if you'll accompany me upstairs in the viewing area, we can get started."

Nora followed Father up a spiral staircase and through an automatic door which led to a small room that overlooked the laboratory. There were two plush, white armchairs and Father sat in one. "Please, have a seat."

Nora obeyed but felt on edge. From her new perspective, she noticed that the flesh colored gel in each of the four pools weren't one homogenous flesh tone, but a gradient of four: fleshy pink, pale yellow, tan, and deep chocolate brown.

"Dr. Binet is one of the finest minds working here with us." Father commented. "His son, Liam, is his apprentice. I have high hopes for him. I hope he'll take his father's place some day."

"Proceed with the demonstration." Father announced into the microphone.

"Wonderful!" Dr. Binet exclaimed brightly. His voice came through a PA box that was attached above the glass window. "Forgive my exuberance. It's been a while since I've been able to demonstrate this to anyone besides my colleagues."

He cleared his throat, "Billions of years ago, our early ancestors crawled out of the jungles of a place called Africa and slowly evolved into the dominant species on the planet. What you will see before you is the next step in human evolution. Allow me to present the synthetic humanoid."

Dr. Binet pressed typed in a series of commands into a nearby terminal and the giant robotic arms swung around on command.

He continued his lecture in a proud, confident voice. "The first step in this great leap in evolution starts at the molecular level. Thanks to Father … and also to you, Nora, we managed to use Father's uncorrupted, pure DNA to act as a blueprint for the rest of our synths. With this blueprint, we can replicate any existing genome and create a synthetic human from the ground up."

Dr. Binet typed in more commands into his terminal and then walked over to the upright glass frame. "First, we start at the foundation. Our robots assemble the human skeletal structure and then another injects the various neurons, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and veins."

The robotic arm was moving like a jackhammer as it assembled a human skeleton in under ten seconds. Then another arm swung over and began injecting a dull grey matter onto the skeleton. The process reminded Nora of a tattoo gun etching designs into a person's skin. However, instead of a design, this gun was etching a person into existence.

Soon, Nora was looking at a musculature structure of a human male. "Then we inject the body with a cocktail of enzymes and hormones that act as a catalyst to jumpstart the endocrine system, and then we jumpstart the heart with a controlled shock."

The needle on the robotic arm began to pulse slowly, and the grey tinge of the dead muscles suddenly turned a vivid pink, and the veins that wrapped around the muscles like rope turned a dark blue.

"Finally, our human prototype is placed in our pool of synthetic keratinocytes and receive one more controlled electric shock to stabilize the human body. It is at this point that our prototype is indistinguishable from a normal human. They are our exact match, right now to the genetic level."

Nora's mouth fell open as the synth rose up out of the pool and was stark naked. Unlike the neutered Gen-2 synths, he was anatomically male in every way. He had a sun-kissed complexion, and had a shaved head with black stubble poking out from the scalp. When the synth opened his eyes, Nora saw that he had deep brown eyes. He looked around curiously but didn't seem frightened. The synthetic man before her looked completely human. Dr. Binet escorted him over to a door that was marked with red letters which said "Processing."

"Simply put, our synths are meant to redefine what it means to be human." Dr. Binet said. "They are mankind redefined."

"Where do they go when they are processed?" Nora asked.

"Thank you for the demonstration Dr. Binet." Father announced into the intercom and then addressed Nora.

"They are brought to the SRB, or Synth Retention Bureau, which is where they are programmed with memories, experiences, and personality traits. All of them have their physical abilities and mental prowess tested before they are given their assignments. Some of the elite are chosen to work as coursers while most of the others are retained by the Institute to work as laborers, janitors, and assistants."

Nora watched as another synth — this time a female — rose up out of the pink colored pool. She also had a shaved head. "Why are they all hairless?"

"Their hair follicles will begin growing as soon as they are created." Father replied, "However, their hair growth is limited to that of a normal person's and so it will take a couple of weeks for many of them to achieve a fully naturalized human look."

Father guided Nora out of the small demonstration room and through another hallway. Another automatic door sat at the end, but this door was marked in bold, black lettering that read: SRB - ACCESS PROHIBITED.

Father flashed a small name badge in front of a scanner and led Nora through the open door. This room was divided into two separate areas that was connected by a wall of reinforced plexiglass.

The first room was filled with computer terminals. On the far wall, twenty five small computer monitors were hooked up into a grid and each one had a different image displayed. Nora scanned the monitors and saw that each image was a recording of somewhere out in the Commonwealth. One showed a Raider lounging against a wooden barricade, another showed Piper and Nat playing cards outside of Publik Occurrences, and a third showed an arial view of Vault 111.

Nora broke away from Father to get a closer look at the bottom left television monitor. An intern with black cropped hair looked at Nora warily.

"How are you recording all of this?" Nora asked. She tried to keep the panic out of her voice, but she failed. She didn't know what to expect. If Shaun had been recording Vault 111 this entire time, then he knew the exact date and time that she emerged, yet he did nothing to contact her. It didn't make sense. The apathy towards her well-being felt like a slap in the face.

Father, oblivious to Nora's concerns, introduced a short man with a shaved head. "Nora, I'd like to introduce you to our interim head of the SRB, Justin Ayo. He has stepped up while our current head, Dr. Zimmer, is out on field work in the Capital Wasteland. He's also responsible for our newest invention. Dr. Ayo, if you'd please explain."

"Certainly, Father." He replied. His voice was cold and the smile that he gave looked more like a sneer. His face held a permanently dissatisfied expression and he looked at Nora with thinly veiled disgust.

"What you see here is my pet project that I refined and then perfected while under Dr. Zimmer's tutelage." Dr. Ayo pressed a button on a console and then typed in a few commands to the terminal nearby. The twenty-five screens melded into one huge image of an ariel view of Lexington and Concord.

"The wasteland is a dangerous place." Dr. Ayo continued, "But, it is of vial importance that the Institute not bury its head in the sand with respect to what's been going on with people's affairs topside. So I created a way to survey and record the wasteland, but from a bird's eye perspective."

Nora realized that Dr. Ayo's bird's eye perspective was literal when out of the large console a large sleek crow arose enclosed in a metal cage. The bird's eyes were a startling red and it was looking right at Nora. Dr. Ayo typed one more command in the terminal and the arial shot of Lexington was then replaced with up close footage of Nora's face. The camera moved every time the bird moved its head, and Nora's stomach dropped to the floor.

The Institute had been spying on the Commonwealth long before Nora ever stepped foot into the world. Suddenly all of the effort that Deacon and Desdemona put forth in their secrets, mystique, and guile seemed pathetic and laughable. They had been caught before they had even begun.

"So you've created crows that record everything they see." Nora stated. She tried to keep her voice even and detached, but it came out trembling instead. The image in front of her was delayed by three seconds, but she could read her statement on her own lips. The only saving grace about this scary and intrusive invention was that it didn't playback sound.

"I call them Watchers." Dr. Ayo replied proudly. "And it's not just crows but all flying animals: seagulls, sparrows, crows, and bats. I also just piloted my first synthetic watcher brahmin, and I'm happy to say that the results have been favorable."

Dr. Ayo looked at Nora smugly but the venom in his voice was unmistakeable. "What do you think, _Mother_. As a spy for the Railroad, I wonder if you could appreciate the amount of subterfuge this took on my part. I find it interesting that The Railroad was so sloppy in how they operated. All it took was for my crows to follow you and that synth reject to the front doors of that old, derelict church. I waited no more than two days, and out you popped with a confirmed Railroad agent at your side. I'm sure you'll be disappointed to hear that Institute synths sacked that place and burned everything and anything they could."

"Now, now. Don't gloat." Father chided. "Besides, this isn't the right time to discuss Nora's affairs topside."

Nora wanted to punch the smug Dr. Ayo right in his weasel-like face, but Father ushered her away and down another well lit hallway and through a door. Nora brushed a tear away. She felt miserable, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly why. She felt embarrassed and violated that Ayo had been spying on her this entire time, but she felt even worse that her son allowed it.

"So. About The Railroad..." Nora began quietly. She felt as though she was fessing up to stealing the family car or being late for curfew.

Father sighed heavily and pulled Nora off to the side. "Nora, I don't fault you for your involvement with those idealistic quacks. You had no context. You were thrown into this world and had to survive. I cannot deny that your affiliation with them will mean that some of our scientists will be slow to trust you, but I am just happy that we could recover you before you did irreparable harm."

 _Irreparable harm_. His tone made it sound like she was a being a careless child who was playing near a hot stove top or was acting reckless while playing outside, and thanks to Father, she was saved from her own ignorance.

"I don't think you understand, Shaun." Nora replied. "They are not evil. They want to help synths -"

"Synths do not need help." He cut in sharply. "They do not have wants or desires. They are tools that the Institute created and they are the Institute's property. Not everything in the world is so black and white, Nora. Although they haven't attacked us outright, the Railroad is still our enemy."

Father cleared his throat and sighed. A wrinkled hand ruffled through his hair as he regained his composure. Again, an echo of Nate came to the surface as she remembered how he tried to recite his speech for the Veteran's Hall. His hand ruffled through his dark hair in irritation as he tripped up over some of his words in anxiety. Nora had to look away before the pain became too great to bare.

"Now what's wrong?" Father asked. Irritation edged his voice slightly. He wasn't use to people being so emotional in front of him.

"It's nothing." Nora turned away to wipe both of her eyes. "You just look so much like your father right now."

"I - uh." More sighing, this time his voice was edged in regret. "I can understand the trauma you're experiencing. You've had a challenging day. We just have one more person to meet, and then we'll talk about more pleasant things."

Nora turned back to her son and nodded. The idea that she had no say in this matter bothered her. She was beginning to feel like a prisoner in a gilded, scientifically-advanced cage.

"Lastly, this is our Advanced Systems Division." Father continued, but Nora wasn't listening.

She thought about Nick and wondered whether he was tearing the Commonwealth apart to find her. The Railroad - if they still existed, that is - still have the instructions on how to built the relay. But she didn't know if they had the manpower or the capacity to take down another courser. Nora also thought about Hancock and wondered if he and Nick would put aside their differences and work together for once. She also thought of Hancock's passionate speech to the Goodneighbor towsfolk and heard his voice echo in her head: _The Institute can't control us if we're not afraid._

Yet, the main thing that Nora feared was that rescuing her would prove fatal to far too many. She was in a Vault all over again, albeit a better decorated and warmer one, but Nora would not let another person throw themselves into danger because of her. Nate's had already paid that price for her and she be dammed if she'd let Nick or Hancock do the same.

Their visit to the Advanced Systems Division was brief. The scientists here were a lot less open to interruption and most preferred to tinker with laser weapons and other gadgets than actually engage Nora in conversation. The main thing she noticed was that their head scientist, an older woman named Dr. Li, wasn't afraid to talk back to Father. Whereas the other scientists seemed to fall upon the ground whenever Father passed by, Dr. Li barely looked up from the large plasma rifle that she was putting together.

"Dr. Madison Li is from the Capital Wasteland and we're very fortunate to have such a prolific scientist among our ranks." Father replied. "She's a good person to ask if you're having trouble adapting to living in the Institute. It can be quite an adjustment at first."

"I came to the Institute to do my research outside of the Brotherhood's oppressive steel fist." She replied dryly. "I did not sign up to be anyone's welcome crew."

"The Brotherhood?" Nora heard that term before. "D'you mean the Brotherhood of Steel?"

Li's piercing, hawk-like gaze left her gun for a moment. She gave Nora a pointed, infuriated look as though Nora had just insulted her.

"Yes." She replied tersely.

"Yes." Father repeated. His voice lost its warmth and he scowled. "Dr. Li has renounced all affiliations with those zealots, and we are very fortunate to have her here with us. Thanks to her work, we've made great strides in improving our laser and plasma weapon capabilities, and we've refined the cybernetics program."

"Thank you for your time, Dr. Li." Father replied. "We'll let you get back to work."

Father guided Nora out of the Advanced Systems laboratory and back into the atrium, but Nora couldn't shake the feeling that Dr. Li's brash and abrupt behavior was more of a defense mechanism than a outright dislike of people.

"There's no need to introduce you to the head of Facilities." Father remarked and led Nora into a small elevator. "You'll meet Allie soon enough. She's in charge of all of the housekeeping, repairs, cleaning, and meal service here. She's our chief engineer, and I value her opinion on many things. She, Dr. Li, Dr. Ayo, Dr. Binet, and Dr. Holren all make up the Board of Directors with me as their head. I would like you to attend our Directorate meeting tomorrow night. But before you do, we still have much to discuss."

Father stepped out of the elevator and led her through several common areas that were decorated in plush white couches and armchairs, fake flowers sat in a ceramic vase on a coffee table, and various scientific instruments sat neatly organized and ready to be used.

"I have already asked Allie to prepare you some living quarters. It is modest, as you're a single woman who doesn't require much space, but it is clean and comfortable."

Father pressed a sensor on the wall and the automatic door slid open. Nora's living quarters were indeed modest. The place was about half the size of her house in Sanctuary Hills. As she walked in into the living room, she saw a bed and a dresser through one doorway and a small, but clean bathroom through the other.

"There's no kitchen." She remarked.

"No." Father agreed. "If you feel ill, you may accept meals in your room, but we encourage our residents to eat their meals in our common dining area. It encourages camaraderie and prevents some of our more reclusive residents from simply holing up in their rooms all day."

"So it's kind of like college all over again." Nora quipped. Father looked at her strangely and then chuckled at the joke. His laugh was too late to be appropriate and it sounded hollow and forced.

"Ah, levity. That means you handle challenges well. I'm glad you're starting to see the silver lining in all of this. Please make yourself comfortable. I will be back in just a moment with our meals."

When Father left, the door closed behind him with a mechanical whooshing sound and Nora was alone.

In the living room, Nora's fingers glossed over the smooth plastic tables. The hardened plastic was cool to the touch; the white table was nearly blinding as no dirt, dust, or grime dared to touch it.

Tucked into the corner was a small desk and a terminal set to an open command screen. The standard ROBCO copyright sat at the top with a subheading that read: INSTITUTE PRIVATE SERVER. A blinking block curser waited for a user to issue a command or to begin typing.

Just as she was about to get up from the chair and explore more of her small room, Nora heard the terminal beep and a line of text popped up.

 _I know who you really are._

Nora blinked at the computer terminal and looked around the room. She wondered if this was some sort of practical joke, and then another line of text followed.

 _You disgust me._

Nora scowled at the two lines and then typed back. Although she had a feeling that she already knew who this was.

Who is this?

 _Smile. You are on camera!_

Nora looked over the door and saw a small black camera with a red blinking light. The lens zoomed in and the image was sent over the computer much like Ayo had done back in the SRB.

You're spying on my room? Does it get so lonely down there that you have to peep on other women?

His reaction was immediate. Nora could nearly feel the vitriol behind the words that sparked the next message.

 _You're not my type. But I thought you'd like to see this._

An image loaded up on the screen. It was a grainy black and white image of Nick being carried through Goodneighbor by Hancock and Doctor Amari. His eyes were closed, not closed in a grimace of pain, but closed as though he was dead.

Nora felt her fingers typing faster than her mind could process. She knew that Nick had taken a laser bullet from the courser, but she didn't think that he had been so badly wounded. Nora's fingers trembled and she had to delete the message several times to rid it of typos. She couldn't let Ayo think that he had crawled under her skin.

How did you get this? When did this happen?

 _Father doesn't know that you've been fucking the failed prototype. Nor does he know about your fraternizing with a disgusting ghoul._

Another image popped up. This time it was a black and white image of Nora kissing Hancock outside of the Starlight Drive In cinema. Her face was flushed from the look of unbridled passion and satisfaction on Hancock's face. She simultaneously regretted and thankful that she stopped him before their lust swept them both away.

 _Nothing to say? Do you want Father to know that his mother is just as ruined by the wasteland as the rest of those surface dwellers?_

A third was a brief five second recording, but this one was tinted green. This footage was taken with a night vision enhanced lens and it was of Nora and Nick's activities in the Old North Church's catacombs. Nora watched as her head snapped and a silent moan spilled from her lips when Nick's hand snuck between her parted, bare thighs.

Why are you doing this?

 _I need someone to act as my eyes and ears while topside. You are the only candidate thus far who is capable of fighting and is malleable when given the right incentives._

You're talking about blackmail

 _No. I'm talking about cooperation. Father knows nothing about you aside for your involvement with the Railroad. If you do as I say, he wont know of anything else._

Nora's jaw clenched. She wanted to punch that smug, conniving bastard clean in the face. Then the terminal beeped as he continued.

 _If you refuse, I will e-mail these last two pictures of your ... compromising situations to everyone in the Institute. Those two abominations will be hunted down by my coursers on Father's orders._

Nora felt paralyzed with shock and fear. She knew Ayo would make good on his threat. He was a bully, but he also had a lot to prove to the other Institute members. If Ayo wanted to embarrass her or humiliate her, Nora could withstand the disgusting looks and scathing remarks. But Nora couldn't be responsible for Nick's or Hancock's death.

 _Tick tock. Father is on his way._

Fine. What do you want?

 _Meet me in my office tomorrow morning at 7am. We will negotiate and solidify the terms to this arrangement_

The terminal beeped once more and the entire conversation disappeared just as Father came into the room carrying two cafeteria trays.

"How do you like your room?" He asked and set the trays on the nearby desk. "I hope that everything is to your liking. If you need anything at all, there is a panel on the wall here to contact Dr. Newton Oberly who runs the housing department. You can also ask any of our Gen-3 synths if Dr. Oberly isn't available or if it is after common working hours. As they do not sleep, the Gen-3 synths are the night staff."

"Everything is great, Shaun." Nora replied.

Her comment didn't feel like a total lie. After all, she could appreciate a place that was clean, free from attacks by Raiders or Super Mutants, and she was looking forward to taking a very long, hot shower. But she knew this place could never really be her home. Everything was too sterile - too much like Vault-Tec.

"But you're not happy here." He replied astutely. "I understand that this is a transition, Mother. I only hope that you'll give this place a chance. I hope that you can give _me_ a chance."

The guilt trip had worked on Nora. She bowed her head and couldn't meet her son's eyes. She had put forth so much effort looking for Shaun; hell, she even fantasized about what their reunion would be like, but Nora now wanted nothing more than to leave this place and to never look back.

"Shaun, I have people up there - friends - who think I'm dead or worse. I can't just sit down here without them knowing that I'm alive. Without their help, I would've never found you."

"Those Railroad people are not your friends, Nora." He cut in. "Can't you see they are using you? You are expendable to them. They let you go after a courser with a team of three people and two synths - one who's barely holding together as it is. It was a suicide mission."

"Then why did you let me go after him?" She asked. Her temper added an edge to that comment that she didn't mean. "Jesus, Shaun. You've been watching me since I crawled out of that Vault. What was stopping you from sending a courser to me then? You could've saved me from the wasteland. You could've brought me to your little sparkling ant farm and all of this would've ended a lot differently."

Her son frowned, but he didn't look guilty only confused. "Mother, it seems with old age comes regret. As I grew up here, I never questioned my heritage. I never had an inkling to find out about you. I never knew how much my distance would affect you."

"Of course it affects me, Shaun!" Nora exclaimed. "I'm your mother. The Institute robbed me of your childhood. They stopped us both of being a family."

"No Mother." Father replied gently. His wrinkled, dry hand grazed Nora's and he looked her in her eyes, "The Institute robbed you of a family, yes. But the Gen-3 synth program, they are my family through science. They look at me as their father thanks to science. They also look at you as the mother of them all. You gave birth to me, and I created them. You can still have that family here. I think it will make your life here more fulfilling and seem less like a punishment."

"So you're keeping me your prisoner?" Nora asked dryly. She removed her hand from her son's and crossed her arms.

Father sat back in his chair and mirrored her posture. His eyebrow cocked at Nora's sudden defiance.

"I prefer to look at it as protective custody. If we let you go, we cannot guarantee that you wont spill sensitive information to the undesirables above. I am asking you to try and find the good in this situation. Otherwise, your existence here will be incredibly dull and unfulfilling."

Father rose from his seat and took his tray with untouched food. "Please think about it, Mother. Don't make a decision out of fear. Try to have an open mind. The Institute can be your home in the same way that it has been mine. At least sleep on the decision."

Nora watched her son leave and let hot tears spill down her cheeks. She pushed the cafeteria tray across the table with force. The food on it was an unopened bag that had a label typed across it in bold typeface: FOOD PRODUCT #11.

Her stomach rumbled. Aside for the rations that Glory brought with to Greentech, Nora hadn't ate anything in over twenty-four hours. She knew she should eat. She knew that wasting away in a clean, gilded prison cell wasn't how she wanted to go. But Nora couldn't find it in her heart to cave into Shaun ... no, Father's wishes.

Nora brought her knees to her chest and sobbed into her arms. She would never see Hancock or Nick again. She'd never see Arturo's kind smile, hear Nat's exuberant laughter as Piper told her an off-colored joke. She'd never taste Vadim's terrible moonshine and Codsworth would forever be trimming the dead hedges at Sanctuary as Preston and his gang eeked out a meager life in her ruined past.

Just then the computer terminal chimed and Nora read the one line through bleary, tear-filled eyes.

 _Don't forget. 7AM tomorrow. I can get you topside ... For a price._


End file.
